image

Brandyn Castro, MD

Neurosurgical Resident Chief Resident, PGY7

Post-graduate Training:

07/2016-06/2023 Residency in Neurological Surgery, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

07/2020-06/2022 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois

Hospital Appointments:

07/2016-06/2023 Resident Physician in Neurological Surgery, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Clinical Interests:

1. Neurosurgical Oncology

2. Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors

3. Skull Base Surgery

4. Neuro-Oncology

5. Cranial Trauma

6. Spine Trauma

7. General Spine

8. Pediatric brain tumors

9. Hydrocephalus

10. Cerebrospinal fluid shunts

11. Chiari Malformation

 

 

Research Interests:

1. Neuro-oncology

2. Immunotherapy

3. Clinical trials

 

 

Awards and Honors:

2022-2023

Glioblastoma Foundation Neil Peart Neurosurgery Research Grant

 

2021

Ronald L Bittner Award on Brain Tumor Research, AANS

 

2022

Translational Bridge Research Fellowship

 

 

Selected Publications:

  1. Cordero A, Ramsey MD, Kanojia D, Fares J, Schwartz CW, Burga R, Zhang P, Rashidi A, Castro BA, Xiao T, Lee-Chang C, Miska J, Balyasnikova IV, Ahmed AU, Lesniak MS. Combination of tucatinib and neuro stem cells secreting anti-HER2 antibody prolongs survival of HER2+ breast cancer brain metastases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). 2021;119(1).
  2. Dapash M, Castro BA, Hou D, Lee-Chang C. Current immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of glioblastoma. Cancers. 2021;13(4548).
  3. Dapash M, Hou D, Castro BA, Lee-Chang C, Lesniak MS. The interplay between glioblastoma and its microenvironment. Cells. 2021;12(2257).