A research team led by Professor Kim Kyung-Hee of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul), in collaboration with domestic and international researchers, has identified a new molecular subtype of “medulloblastoma”—an intractable pediatric malignant brain tumor—and presented the potential for patient-tailored precision medicine.

This study was conducted as part of the cancer proteogenomics-based precision medicine research initiative led by the National Cancer Center’s Cancer Proteogenomics Research Project Team. The project brought together top-tier researchers from Korea and abroad, including Professor Kim Kyung-hee’s team at Kookmin University; Professor Park Jong-bae’s team at Kyung Hee University; Professor Kim Seung-ki’s team at Seoul National University Hospital; Dr. Yoon Jong-hyuk’s team at the Korea Brain Research Institute; Professor Sa Kyung-ha’s team at Korea University; Professor Kim Young-wook’s team at the National Cancer Center; Professor Koo Ha-rim’s team at Ulsan University; and Professor Antonio Iavarone’s team at Columbia University in the United States.

Medulloblastoma is a common malignant pediatric brain tumor, and radiation therapy and chemotherapy following surgery are the standard treatments. However, there is a limitation in that treatment response and prognosis vary significantly due to the diverse molecular characteristics of tumors across individual patients. In particular, survival rates are extremely low upon recurrence, highlighting the need for a precision medicine approach based on the tumor’s molecular characteristics.

The research team conducted a large-scale proteogenomics study, performing integrated analyses of the genome, transcriptome, epigenome (DNA methylation), proteome, and phosphoproteome using tumor samples obtained from more than 100 medulloblastoma patients.

Through this analysis, they reclassified the four previously known molecular clusters (WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4) into seven distinct subtypes. In particular, they subdivided the SHH group into SHHα and SHHβ, and Group 4 into G4α, G4β, and G4γ, confirming that this classification allows for a more precise description of the tumors’ biological characteristics and clinical prognosis.

The study found that the SHHβ and G4γ subtypes exhibited active neuronal differentiation and a relatively favorable prognosis, whereas the SHHα, G4α, and G4β subtypes were associated with a high risk of recurrence and disease progression. In addition, the research team identified the protein signaling pathways activated in each subtype and discovered subtype-specific therapeutic targets—such as CDK1/2, PARP, CLK1, and MET—thereby suggesting the potential for precision medicine-based targeted therapy.

Professor Kim Kyung-Hee stated, “By comprehensively analyzing cancer proteogenomic information that reflects actual tumor function, we have proposed a new classification system that allows for a more precise understanding of the molecular diversity of medulloblastoma,” adding, “We expect this to serve as important foundational data for establishing patient-tailored treatment strategies and developing targeted therapies in the future.”

Meanwhile, the findings of this study were published in *Experimental & Molecular Medicine* (IF=17.5, top 1.8% in the JCR), a world-renowned international journal in the field of biomedical sciences published by Nature Portfolio, receiving international recognition for the excellence of the research.

△ Reclassification of 7 molecular subtypes of “medulloblastoma”