Exploring how glioblastoma cancer cells evolve from healthy brain cells
Tuesday 06 December 2022
Congratulations to Assoc Prof Cedric Bardy, Dr Brett Stringer & PhD Student Inushi De Silva
Congratulations to Associate Professor Cedric Bardy, Dr Brett Stringer and PhD Student Inushi De Silva. Their research exploring how glioblastoma cancer cells evolve from healthy brain cells, and how this can be exploited to develop better treatments, was recently published in the journal 'Trends in Cancer'
“A major therapeutic challenge is the variability and adaptability of these brain tumour cells. From patient to patient, glioblastoma tumours are composed of several types of cells in varying proportions. It’s these variations and their incredible capacity to quickly change their identity to hide and escape treatments that make them challenging to eradicate,” says study senior author A/Prof Bardy from Flinders University and Group Leader of SAHMRI's Laboratory for Human Neurophysiology and Genetics.
“However, recent advances in genetics have shown that the cell types found within glioblastomas maintain some resemblance to the cells of origin, before they became cancerous, and use molecular pathways common with brain cells for growth and survival or when changing their identity.”
“We should be able to use this in targeted therapy, with treatments that restrict glioblastoma tumour cells ability to change, known as plasticity. Understanding more about these mechanisms will be helpful to develop new treatments in the future,”
The team is now currently testing potential treatments targeting subtypes of tumour cells that invade the human brain circuitry and are difficult to remove surgically, without harming the patient.
Read the full press release courtesy of Flinders University: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/972688
