Mark Applebaum, MD, is an expert in pediatric cancers and blood diseases. He has a special interest in the treatment of neuroblastoma, sarcomas and solid tumors.
Dr. Applebaum is a translational physician-scientist working on harnessing genomics and “big data” to advance treatments for children with neuroblastoma. He bridges the fields of epigenetics, genomics, and cancer biology to identify idenitfy novel risk classifiers and therapeutic targets.
Dr. Applebaum focuses his research on how specific epigenetic marks can identify patients with aggressive neuroblastoma that may benefit from alternatives to standard therapy. His laboratory is also identifying how the low-oxygen environment of tumors makes cancer cells more resistant to standard therapies by inducing changes in these same epigenetic marks. Identifying the genes and cellular pathways responsible for these changes may ultimately open new avenues for novel therapeutic options.
Dr. Applebaum's research is supported by the National Cancer Institute and the University of Chicago Cancer Center Auxiliary Board. He has received funding from the Conquer Cancer Foundation, Cancer Research Foundation, and the Bear Necessities Foundation. He is the recipient of numerous awards from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association of Cancer Researchers, and the Advances in Neuroblastoma Research Association.
Fellowship, University of Chicago
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics
2016
Fellowship, University of Chicago
- Hematology/Oncology
2015
Residency, University of California, San Francisco
- Pediatrics
2011
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
M.D.
2008
University of California, Berkeley
B.A. - Molecular and Cell Biology
2004
5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Profiling of Cell-Free DNA Identifies Bivalent Genes That Are Prognostic of Survival in High-Risk Neuroblastoma.
5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Profiling of Cell-Free DNA Identifies Bivalent Genes That Are Prognostic of Survival in High-Risk Neuroblastoma. JCO Precis Oncol. 2024 Jan; 8:e2300297.
PMID: 38295320
Adrenergic and mesenchymal signatures are identifiable in cell-free DNA and correlate with metastatic disease burden in children with neuroblastoma.
Adrenergic and mesenchymal signatures are identifiable in cell-free DNA and correlate with metastatic disease burden in children with neuroblastoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2024 Jan; 71(1):e30735.
PMID: 37859597
Adrenergic and mesenchymal signatures are identifiable in cell-free DNA and correlate with metastatic disease burden in children with neuroblastoma.
Adrenergic and mesenchymal signatures are identifiable in cell-free DNA and correlate with metastatic disease burden in children with neuroblastoma. bioRxiv. 2023 Sep 01.
PMID: 37693610
Persistence of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Risk and Survival for Patients with Neuroblastoma over Two Decades.
Persistence of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Risk and Survival for Patients with Neuroblastoma over Two Decades. EJC Paediatr Oncol. 2023 Dec; 2.
PMID: 38213818
T-cell inflammation is prognostic of survival in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma enriched for an adrenergic signature.
T-cell inflammation is prognostic of survival in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma enriched for an adrenergic signature. bioRxiv. 2023 Jun 28.
PMID: 37425883
Breaking Up Isn't Hard to Do: Isolating Cell-free DNA Fragments in Osteosarcoma.
Breaking Up Isn't Hard to Do: Isolating Cell-free DNA Fragments in Osteosarcoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2023 06 01; 29(11):2017-2019.
PMID: 36976253
5-hydroxymethylcytosine profiling of cell-free DNA identifies bivalent genes that are prognostic of survival in high-risk neuroblastoma.
5-hydroxymethylcytosine profiling of cell-free DNA identifies bivalent genes that are prognostic of survival in high-risk neuroblastoma. bioRxiv. 2023 Apr 30.
PMID: 37163024
Diffuse Pediatric-type High-grade Glioma Arising in an Ovarian Mature Cystic Teratoma.
Diffuse Pediatric-type High-grade Glioma Arising in an Ovarian Mature Cystic Teratoma. Int J Gynecol Pathol. 2024 Jan 01; 43(1):90-96.
PMID: 37046379
Clinical Targeted Next-Generation Panel Sequencing Reveals MYC Amplification Is a Poor Prognostic Factor in Osteosarcoma.
Clinical Targeted Next-Generation Panel Sequencing Reveals MYC Amplification Is a Poor Prognostic Factor in Osteosarcoma. JCO Precis Oncol. 2023 03; 7:e2200334.
PMID: 36996377
Methyltransferase Inhibition Enables Tgfß Driven Induction of CDKN2A and B in Cancer Cells.
Methyltransferase Inhibition Enables Tgfß Driven Induction of CDKN2A and B in Cancer Cells. Mol Cell Biol. 2023; 43(3):115-129.
PMID: 36941772