The Smith Laboratory in the Vascular Biology Program is focused on mechanisms of vascular regulation shared by both brain tumors and cerebrovascular disease. This research, supported by the NIH and national foundations, has included both institutional protocols and national, multi-center studies.
The laboratory has focused on the development of tests to better screen for the presence, recurrence and progression of brain tumors and cerebrovascular disease using non-invasive biomarkers. The Smith laboratory published the first report describing the successful use of urinary biomarkers to identify brain tumors and has since expanded this work to use - for the first time - biomarkers to predict therapeutic efficacy of various treatments for cerebrovascular disease and to define a panel of urinary and radiographic biomarker “fingerprints” unique to neurosurgical disease. This work has driven changes in clinical practice, including international working groups, national care guidelines and clinical trials.
