Louis Lab

About the Lab

Over the past 25 years, we have demonstrated alterations characteristic of specific glioma subtypes and grades. We originally demonstrated that molecular genetic analysis could be used to define clinicopathologically relevant subsets of glioblastomas, and then showed that molecular genetic alterations are powerful predictors of therapeutic response and survival in patients with anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and in other oligodendroglial tumors.

These findings have already led to incorporation of molecular diagnostic testing around the world for these parameters. Work over the past few years has been directed toward incorporating molecular testing into the World Health Organization Classification of Central Nervous System Tumors, a process directed by Dr. Louis, and toward making molecular diagnostics a practical and routine part of brain tumor diagnosis through international efforts led by Dr. Louis (the Consortium to Inform Molecular and Practical Approaches to CNS Tumor Taxonomy [cIMPACT] and the CNS dataset of the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting [ICCR]).

The lab has also demonstrated that glioblastomas treated with the

alkylating agent temozolomide (which is now the standard of care for such cases) frequently inactivate mismatched repair genes, leading to more rapid growth during therapy and to therapeutic resistance, and has worked collaboratively on epigenetic and single-cell studies of high-grade gliomas.

Read more about the Louis Lab from the Center for Cancer Research Annual Report and the Pathology Basic Science Research Brochure.

Research Positions

Read about and apply for residency, fellowship and observership programs here.

Apply for temporary positions (summer interns) through the Mass General Careers Web site.

All applicants should register with the at Mass General Careers Web site

Group Members

Meet our research team:

• David N. Louis, MD
  Benjamin Castleman Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
  Pathologist-in-Chief, Massachusetts General Hospital
• R.K. Narayanan
• Sophie Shnaper
• Mario Suva, MD, PhD
• James Kim
• Ben Levin

Selected Publications

Louis DN, Wesseling P, Paulus W, Giannini C, Batchelor TT, Cairncross JG, Capper D, Figarella-Branger D, Lopes MB, Wick W, van den Bent M. cIMPACT-NOW update 1: Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) and Not Elsewhere Classified (NEC). Acta Neuropathol. 2018; 135(3):481-484.

Louis DN, Aldape K, Brat DJ, Capper D, Ellison DW, Hawkins C, Paulus W, Perry A, Reifenberger G, Figarella-Branger D, Wesseling P, Batchelor TT, Cairncross JG, Pfister SM, Rutkowski, Weller M, Wick W, von Deimling A. Announcing cIMPACT-NOW: The Consortium to Inform Molecular and Practical Approaches to CNS Tumor Taxonomy. Acta Neuropathol. 2017; 133:1-3.

Louis DN, Ohgaki H, Wiestler OD, Cavenee WK (eds.). World Health Organization Histological Classification of Tumours of the Central Nervous System. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2016.

Louis DN, Perry A, Reifenberger G, von Deimling A, Figarella-Branger D, Cavenee WK, Ohgaki H, Wiestler OD, Kleihues P, Ellison DW. The 2016 WHO classification of tumours of the central nervous system: a summary. Acta Neuropathol. 2016; 131(6):803-820.

Louis DN. Perry A, Burger P, et al. International Society of Neuropathology- Haarlem consensus guidelines for nervous system tumor classification and grading. Brain Pathol. 2014; 24:429-435.

PubMed Article: Histology-Based Expression Profiling Yields Novel Prognostic Markers in Human Glioblastoma.