We are thrilled to share a new publication, “EHE cell cultures are a platform for mechanistic and therapeutic investigation,” made possible by a partnership between the University of Iowa and the EHE Foundation. Under the leadership of Dr. Munir Tanas, Nicholas Scalora, PhD, and colleagues in the Tanas Lab sought to develop long-term EHE cell cultures from biospecimens obtained through the EHE Biobank. These new cultures will allow researchers to better understand how EHE grows and make it possible to test new treatments in human-derived models. 

The EHE Foundation sponsors and manages the EHE Biobank with this purpose in mind – to accelerate research that will lead to better therapies for people living with EHE. Patient-donated tumor tissue, blood, and fluid are the only pathways to develop human EHE cell models for research. We extend our sincerest gratitude to patients who have donated tumor tissue or other specimens to the EHE Biobank. 

We are grateful to the Tanas Lab for their partnership and perseverance in this effort, and to Dr. Brian Rubin and the Cleveland Clinic Biorepository for providing oversight and professional resources to the EHE Biobank. 

To learn more about how you can be an EHE tissue donor, go to https://fightehe.org/ehe-biobank/.