Episode
Jenny M. Munson, Virginia Tech - Unraveling the Secrets of "Chemo Brain"
- Podcast
- The Academic Minute
- Published
- Jun 26, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 150
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Summary
Surviving cancer may come with neurological side effects as well. Jenny M. Munson , professor and director at the Cancer Research Center – Roanoke at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech , determines why this is. Faculty Bio: Tracking fluid flow to understand cancer, aging and women’s health.How does the pace of fluid flow affect tumor spread and memory loss?In the Munson Lab, we study the tumor microenvironment in cancers, including glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. Our research focuses on the emerging research area of fluid flow. Cancer’s invasion of the brain follows distinctive routes that correlate with interstitial and bulk flow pathways. In brain cancer, fluid flow increases between cells within the tissue, specifically across the invasive edge of the tumor where cells are prone to both interact with the surrounding brain tissue and to evade localized, transport-limited therapies. We believe fluid flow can alter how a tumor responds to drug therapies. Not only is fluid flow important in cancer, but also is a contributor to normal function in tissues and other diseases. To this end, we are translating many of our methods and hypotheses to understand the role of fluid flow in immunity, aging, and women’s health.Our methods combine in vivo imaging methodology with in vitro tissue engineered models to examine the role of interstitial fluid flow and the cellular components of the microenvironment in cancer progression and treatment. We use patient-derived cells to create personalized models of disease to test hypotheses related to fluid and tissue transport in tumors and the brain and to identify new drug targets and treatment approaches. Our goal is to find new targets in the tissue microenvironment by examining cancer and diseas…