Leomar Y Ballester

Leomar Y Ballester is an Associate Professor of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He earned his medical degree and completed residency training in anatomic pathology, followed by fellowships in neuropathology and molecular genetic pathology. His research focuses on the molecular characterization of gliomas, particularly glioblastoma isocitrate dehydrogenase-wildtype, and the application of cerebrospinal fluid circulating tumor DNA analysis for molecular reclassification of diffuse gliomas. Recent publications include studies on butterfly glioblastoma genetic alterations, extreme survival outcomes following supramaximal resection, and expanding the spectrum of GLI1-altered central nervous system tumors. He has also contributed to research on tumor mutational burden and PD-L1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer cytology specimens. His work integrates cancer genetics, tumor biology, and neuro-oncology to advance precision diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for brain tumor patients.