Michelle Monje

Michelle Monje founded the field of cancer neuroscience by discovering that neural activity directly promotes glioma growth through secretion of neuroligin-3 (NLGN3) and formation of functional neuron-to-glioma synapses. Her work revealed that glioma cells integrate into neural circuits, receiving excitatory synaptic input that drives proliferation through PI3K-mTOR signaling pathways. Her demonstration that activity-dependent mechanisms normally governing brain development are co-opted by brain tumors has opened entirely new therapeutic strategies for targeting the neural tumor microenvironment.