Gender	Male
E-mail	roland.friedel@mountsinai.org
Education and Training	Ph.D., Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology
	M.S., University of Munich
	Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University
Awards	2001 - 2003 Research Fellowship of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Roland Friedel, Ph.D., joined the Department of Neurosurgery as Instructor in July 2009, coming from the Helmholtz Research Center for Environmental Health in Munich, Germany. He is an expert in the fields of mouse genetics and developmental neurobiology.

He will investigate in collaboration with Prof. Soriano (Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology) the genetic causes of brain cancer by analyzing genetically modified mice. The study focuses mainly on genes that synergize in tumor formation with PDGF, a gene well known to cause glioma when overactivated. The identification of novel genetic factors that contribute to glioma formation will facilitate the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.

Education and Training	Ph.D., Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology
	M.S., University of Munich
	Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University

Tumors of the brain are amongst the most lethal types of cancer. They account for over 175,000 cases per year worldwide, claiming the lives of thousands of patients (WHO World Cancer Report, 2003). Despite of significant progress in the identification of genes involved in tumorigenesis, the etiology of brain tumors is still largely unknown, and incidence and mortality rates of these cancers have changed little over the past decade. The goal of our research is to identify the genetic factors that contribute to the formation of brain tumors. The identification of novel diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets will lead to better treatment strategies for this devastating disease.

To identify novel cancer genes, we will perform a tumor screen in mice by applying a transposon-based mutagenesis strategy ("PiggyBac") to efficiently mutate genes in a brain-specific manner. In particular, we will focus on genes that synergize with PDGF, a growth factor that is well known to cause glioma when overactivated. Candidate genes will be validated first by screening human tumor samples, and subsequently by transfecting cell lines for in vitro assays and by injection of these lines in host mice.

Friedel RH. Targeting embryonic stem cells. Methods Mol Biol 2009; 561: 185-197.

Korostylev A, Worzfeld T, Deng S, Friedel RH, Swiercz JM, Vodrazka P, Maier V, Hirschberg A, Ohoka Y, Inagaki S, Offermanns S, Kuner R. A functional role for Semaphorin 4D/Plexin B1 interactions in epithelial branching morphogenesis during organogenesis. Development 2008; 135: 3333-3343.

Friedel RH, Kerjan G, Rayburn H, Schuller U, Sotelo C, Tessier-Lavigne M, Chedotal A. Plexin-B2 controls the development of cerebellar granule cells. J Neurosci 2007; 27: 3921-3932.

Friedel RH, Seisenberger C, Kaloff C, Wurst W. EUCOMM--the European conditional mouse mutagenesis program. Brief Funct Genomic Proteomic 2007; 6: 180-185.

Miller SF, Summerhurst K, Runker AE, Kerjan G, Friedel RH, Chedotal A, Murphy P, Mitchell KJ. Expression of Plxdc2/TEM7R in the developing nervous system of the mouse. Gene Expr Patterns 2007; 7: 635-644.

Osada M, Ito E, Fermin HA, Vazquez-Cintron E, Venkatesh T, Friedel RH, Pezzano M. The Wnt signaling antagonist Kremen1 is required for development of thymic architecture. Clin Dev Immunol 2006; 13: 299-319.

Friedel RH, Plump A, Lu X, Spilker K, Jolicoeur C, Wong K, Venkatesh TR, Yaron A, Hynes M, Chen B, Okada A, McConnell SK, Rayburn H, Tessier-Lavigne M. Gene targeting using a promoterless gene trap vector (. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102: 13188-13193.

Friedel RH, Stubbusch J, Barde YA, Schnurch H. A novel 7-transmembrane receptor expressed in nerve growth factor-dependent sensory neurons. Mol Cel Neurosci 2001; 17: 31-40.

Friedel RH, Schnurch H, Stubbusch J, Barde YA. Identification of genes differentially expressed by nerve growth factor- and neurotrophin-3-dependent sensory neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1997; 94: 12670-12675.