Understanding basic neuroscience is essential to properly diagnose and treat diseases like childhood brain cancers, says HHMI Investigator @Michelle_Monje of @Stanford University. “Some of our biggest breakthroughs in trying to understand how to better treat childhood brain cancers have come from understanding the normal cells that give rise to those cancers,” Michelle says. “What's happened in the process of brain development that's allowed those cancers to grow?” That foundation provides important clues, she says, not only about how to better treat those cancers, but how to avoid disrupting the further development of that child's nervous system.