Brigitte C. Widemann
Pediatric Oncology Branch
The Center for Cancer Research
United States of America
Biography
Dr. Widemann is a senior investigator and head of the Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Section (PETS). After obtaining her M.D., from the University of Cologne (Cologne, Germany) in 1986, Dr. Widemann received board certification in pediatrics in 1992 and was a hematology/oncology fellow at NCI Pediatric Oncology Branch from 1992 to 1995. She subsequently joined the PET Section and received tenure at NCI in 2009. Her primary research interests are in the development of early clinical trials for children and young adults with refractory cancers and genetic tumor predisposition syndromes such as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), and multiple endocrine neoplasia types 2A (MEN2A) and 2B (MEN2B). Dr. Widemann and her colleagues have developed novel imaging methods for NF1-related plexiform neurofibromas and pioneered the development of early phase drug treatments for this patient population. Dr. Widemann leads multiple clinical trials of new investigational agents in pediatric refractory cancers and NF1. She also serves as the NCI Pediatric Oncology Branch principal investigator of the Children’s Oncology Group Phase I Consortium and of the Department of Defense-sponsored Neurofibromatosis Consortium.
Research Interest
Clinical Research, Genetics and Genomics
Publications
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Dagalakis U, Lodish M, Dombi E, Sinaii N, Sabo J, et al. (2014) Puberty and plexiform neurofibroma tumor growth in patients with neurofibromatosis type I. J. Pediatr. 164: 620-4.
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Widemann BC, Babovic-Vuksanovic D, Dombi E, Wolters PL, Goldman S, et al. (2014) Phase II trial of pirfenidone in children and young adults with neurofibromatosis type 1 and progressive plexiform neurofibromas. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 61: 1598-602.
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Widemann BC, Dombi E, Gillespie A, Wolters PL, Belasco J, et al. (2014) Phase 2 randomized, flexible crossover, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of the farnesyltransferase inhibitor tipifarnib in children and young adults with neurofibromatosis type 1 and progressive plexiform neurofibromas. Neuro-oncology. 16: 707-18.
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Widemann BC, Schwartz S, Jayaprakash N, Christensen R, Pui CH, et al. (2014) Efficacy of glucarpidase (carboxypeptidase g2) in patients with acute kidney injury after high-dose methotrexate therapy. Pharmacotherapy. 34: 427-39.
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Widemann BC, Acosta MT, Ammoun S, Belzberg AJ, Bernards A, et al. (2014) CTF meeting 2012: Translation of the basic understanding of the biology and genetics of NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis toward the development of effective therapies. Am. J. Med. Genet. A. 164A: 563-78.
