About Dr. Giselle Sholler
Giselle Sholler, M.D.
Dr. Sholler received her M.D. from New York Medical College, in Valhalla, NY. She was a resident in pediatrics and, subsequently, a fellow in pediatric hematology/oncology at Brown University, before coming to the University of Vermont in 2005. Dr. Sholler's research focuses on new therapies for neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma. These neuronal tumors continue to be therapeutic challenges in pediatrics. Dr. Sholler has shown that the drug nifurtimox increases oxidative stress in neuroblastoma and induces cell death and decreases tumor size in xenograft models of neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma. Nifurtimox also decreases AKT phosphorylation increasing the cells sensitivity to chemotherapy. She is presently studying the mechanism of this drug, drugs effecting metabolic regulation and oxidative stress, and determining the best drugs to use in combination.
Dr. Sholler has completed a Phase I trial of the drug nifurtimox. She has opened and is currently enrolling in a Phase II trial of nifurtimox in combination with cytoxan and topotecan for relapsed neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma patients. She will be opening this trial at other sites in collaboration with Dr. Roberts at Children's San Diego, Dr. Ferguson at St. Louis University, Dr. Zage at MD Anderson Houston, and Dr. Eslin at MD Anderson Orlando. Within this consortium she hopes to bring new therapies through research to children with relapsed neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma.
Dr. Sholler has begun preclinical testing of many drugs and recently opened a new Phase I study of TPI-287 in relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma. Her clinical trials also involve the study of the genomic differences of her patients neuroblastoma cells isolated from bone marrow samples, and working with Jeffrey Bond, Ph.D., UVM research associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, and Craig Webb, Ph.D., senior scientific investigator of the Van Andel Research Institute at Michigan State University, to design a patient specific predictive model for therapy.
Recent Publications
Saulnier Sholler G, Brard L, Straub J, Dorf L, Illyene S, Kalkunte S, Nishi R. Nifurtimox induces apoptosis of neuroblastoma cells in vitro and in vvio. JPHO (accepted).
Singh R, Lange TS, Kim K, Zou Y, Lieb C, Sholler GL, Brard L. Effect of Indole Ethyl Isothiocyanates on Proliferation, Apoptosis and MAPK Signaling in Neuroblastoma Cell Lines. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2007 17(21):5846-5852.
Lange TS, Singh RK, Kim K, Zou Y, Kalkunte S, Sholler GL, Swamy N, Brard L*. Anti-proliferative and Pro-apoptotic Properties of 3-Bromoacetoxy Calcidiol (B3CD) in High-Risk Neuroblastoma. Chem Biol Drug Des. 2007 70:302-310
Straub J, Saulnier Sholler G, Nishi R. Embryonic sympathoblasts transiently express TrkB in vivo and proliferate in response to brain-derived neurotrophic factor in vitro. BMC Developmental Biology 2007, 7:10
Saulnier Sholler G, Kalkunte S, Greenlaw C, McCarten K, Forman, E, Anti-Tumor activity of Nifurtimox observed in a patient with Neuroblastoma. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2006; 10:693-695
Sholler GLS, Boney C, Swamy N. Nifurtimox is Cytotoxic to Neuroblastoma Cells, Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 2005;44(6):562
Sholler GLS, Boney C. Regulation of Mitogenic Signaling by Nerve Growth Factor and Brain Derived Nerve Factor in Neuroblastoma Cells. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 2005;44(6):545
Saulnier Sholler G, Luks F, Mangray S, Meech SJ. Advanced Small Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary in a Pediatric Patient with Long-Term Survival and Review of the Literature. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2005;27:169-172
