Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41652893›Full record

ArticleNeuro-oncology2026

MIF-CD74 signaling drives immune modulation in medulloblastoma.

Benjamin Draper, Zhen You, Dean Thompson, Xu Guo, Alaide Morcavallo, Diego Chillon Pino, Carlos Lorenzo Gido Nery, Sumana Shrestha, Chantelle E Bowers, Courtney Himsworth and 35 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Neuro-oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

45 authors.

Benjamin DraperUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Zhen YouDepartment of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Dean ThompsonWolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Xu GuoDepartment of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Alaide MorcavalloCentre for Paediatric Oncology Experimental Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.
Diego Chillon PinoUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Carlos Lorenzo Gido NeryUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Sumana ShresthaUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Chantelle E BowersUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Courtney HimsworthUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Alberto DelaidelliBC Cancer Centre, Vancouver, Canada.
Bethany RemeniukAkoya Biosciences, Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA.
Sonia MorlandoUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Brandon WadeUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Freya GordonUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Yara Sanchez-CorralesUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Bei HopkinsAkoya Biosciences, Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA.
Natalie MonteiroAkoya Biosciences, Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA.
Darren LockeAkoya Biosciences, Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA.
Miao LiuDepartment of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Jacob Torrejon DiazInstitut Curie, PSL Research University, Université Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Paris, France.
Kevin GreensladeCentre for Paediatric Oncology Experimental Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.
Barbara Martins da CostaCentre for Paediatric Oncology Experimental Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.
Karen BarkerCentre for Paediatric Oncology Experimental Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.
Colin KwokCentre for Paediatric Oncology Experimental Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.
Olumide OgunbiyiUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Anya FletcherWolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Stacey RichardsonWolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Carlos CustodiaGulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), Lisboa, Portugal.
Rafael RoqueGulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), Lisboa, Portugal.
Thomas JacksonUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Regan BarfootCentre for Paediatric Oncology Experimental Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.
Sergi CastellanoUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5819-4210
Rebecca M HillWolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Olivier SaulnierInserm U1330, Genomics and Development of Childhood Cancers Lab, Institut Curie, PSL University, SIREDO Oncology Center, Paris, France.
Thomas S JacquesUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7833-2158
Michael D TaylorTexas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Claudia C FariaGulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), Lisboa, Portugal.
Olivier AyraultInstitut Curie, PSL Research University, Université Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Paris, France.
Poul H SorensenBC Cancer Centre, Vancouver, Canada.
John AndersonUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Louis CheslerCentre for Paediatric Oncology Experimental Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.
L Frank HuangDepartment of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Steven C CliffordWolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Laura K DonovanUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5557-5539

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRelapsed medulloblastoma remains a significant therapeutic challenge as it is near universally fatal. The tumor microenvironment of medulloblastoma plays a critical role in tumor progression, influencing tumor growth, immune evasion, and therapeutic resistance. We hypothesized that defining tumor-immune interactions in diagnostic and relapsed medulloblastoma may uncover mechanisms of immune evasion and identify novel therapeutic targets.

methodsWe analyzed paired primary and recurrent RNA-sequencing data from 140 medulloblastoma patients to profile immune cell composition and validate spatial relationships within the TME. To identify key tumor-immune interactions, we developed a novel algorithm to detect receptor-ligand pairs using single-cell RNA-sequencing data. These interactions were validated across RNA and proteomic datasets. Their functional significance was empirically demonstrated in newly developed immunocompetent models of recurrent medulloblastoma that closely recapitulate the human disease.

resultsWe observed a shift toward a heightened immunosuppressive TME at relapse. Using our algorithm, we identified biologically significant receptor-ligand interactions, most notably MIF-CD74, constitutively expressed at RNA and protein levels across medulloblastoma subgroups, at diagnosis and relapse. Disrupting MIF-CD74 interactions led to significant alterations in the tumor microenvironment, highlighting its functional significance.

conclusionsOur multifaceted approach identified key tumor-immune interactions in medulloblastoma. Among these, MIF-CD74 was validated as a targetable interaction, demonstrating the utility of our integrative approach for identifying novel therapeutic targets across multiple tumor types.

Indexed as

Antigens, Differentiation, B-LymphocyteCerebellar NeoplasmsHistocompatibility Antigens Class IIIntramolecular OxidoreductasesMacrophage Migration-Inhibitory FactorsMedulloblastomaHumansSignal TransductionTumor MicroenvironmentAntigens, Differentiation, B-LymphocyteHistocompatibility Antigens Class IIIntramolecular Oxidoreductasesinvariant chainMacrophage Migration-Inhibitory FactorsMIF protein, humanCD74immune-suppressionmacrophagesrelapsed medulloblastomatumor-immune microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41652893
PMCPMC13186457

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.