In novel research in neuro-oncology, Jignesh Tailor, MD, PhD, pediatric neurosurgeon and physician scientist at Riley Children’s Health, is using a funding award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop models aimed at finding new drug therapies for spinal ependymoma, a vastly understudied condition more common in children and young adults with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). Dr. Tailor’s research laboratory at the Indiana University School of Medicine recently submitted a manuscript highlighting research that employed single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to study the cellular origins of this rare tumor.
“We discovered that not all of the tumor’s cells are mature ependymal cells; they’re very different and there’s actually a cellular hierarchy with some early developmental cells,” said Dr. Tailor, whose research investigates the early stages of tumor genesis with the goal of identifying new therapeutic strategies to prevent the formation of tumors. “The next phase of our experiments will target one of these earlier cells—a radial glia cell—to develop models that will help us learn more about spinal ependymoma for which there is no effective medical treatment.”
At Riley Children’s, Dr. Tailor is co-director of an expert team of neurosurgeons, oncologists and neuroradiologists dedicated to research and treatment of pediatric brain and spine tumors. With the latest surgical techniques and leading-edge imaging capabilities, the advanced Neuro-Oncology Program at Riley Children’s is one of the few multidisciplinary programs in the Midwest providing comprehensive care for complex brain and spine tumors in children and young adults.
“The landscape of neuro-oncology is constantly changing, and that’s why having a formalized program that enables neurosurgeons and oncologists to work side-by-side from the start is so important,” said Dr. Tailor, who along with Riley neuro-oncologist Alex H. Lion, DO, MPH, lead the comprehensive program. “With both specialties working together, we think about treatment in a whole new way in terms of the availability of clinical trials and neurosurgical advances, such as robotic-assisted surgeries, that allow us to obtain biopsies, when needed, to determine the best course of treatment.”
In addition to accessing the latest clinical trials from the Children’s Oncology Group, the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium and others, the neuro-oncology team at Riley Children’s is committed to opening new investigator-initiated trials. Currently, Dr. Tailor is working with GammaTile, a national radiation therapy company to open the first-ever pediatric clinical trial for tile-based brachytherapy at the site of brain tumor resection. On track to enroll the first patient in early 2026, the clinical trial targets children with recurrent brain tumors.
“It could be a real game-changer for these patients who would otherwise have to go through radiation treatment that penetrates the brain,” he said. “Already used in adults, this type of tile-based brachytherapy may end up being a much safer way to provide localized radiation and could eliminate the cognitive side effects to the developing brain.”
Supporting efforts to provide holistic neurosurgical care to children, Dr. Tailor recently filed a U.S. patent application for a single-use, disposable device that protects patients’ hair during cranial surgeries. The tool prevents strands of hair from becoming entangled in medical tools during surgery. The patent application for the tool’s design was prepared with support from the Indiana University Innovation and Commercialization Office.
“We’re very good at what we do, but there’s always room for improvement,” said Dr. Tailor. “This device is a great example of why I wanted to come to Riley Children’s and IU—a strong academic medical center that allows for innovation and offers the resources needed to find new ways of doing things that result in the best outcomes for patients.”
