A new study from researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel showed that they effectively eradicated glioblastoma or brain tumor, which is a highly lethal type of brain cancer. Researchers developed a groundbreaking method from their discovery of two critical mechanisms that support tumor growth and survival.
Science Daily reported that one of these mechanisms protects cancer cells from the immune system, while the other serves as energy for rapid tumor growth. These two mechanisms are controlled by brain cells called astrocytes and their absence shows that tumors could die and be eliminated.
Brain Cancer Chromosomes. Chromosomes prepared from a malignant glioblastoma visualized by spectral karyotyping (SKY) reveal an enormous degree of chromosomal instability -- a hallmark of cancer. Created by Thomas Ried, 2014
Astrocytes Support Brain Tumor Growth
Researchers discussed their findings in two papers published in the scientific journal Brain. The first paper is titled "Astrocyte Immunometabolic Regulation of the Tumor Microenvironment Drives Glioblastoma Pathogenicity," and the second paper is titled "Forced but Effective Partners in Crime: How Astrocytes Drive the Progression of Glioblastoma."
They explained that glioblastoma is an extremely aggressive and invasive type of brain cancer and no effective treatment currently exists. Tumor cells of glioblastoma are highly resistant to all known therapies that did not increase life expectancy in the last 50 years. The findings of the two studies provide a promising basis for developing new medications for treating glioblastoma and other brain tumors.
Dr. Mayo told The Times of Israel that they usually try to attack tumors directly with chemotherapy. But this time, they decided to look at the tumor's microenvironment and found that astrocytes, a major class of brain cells that support normal brain function, either alleviate or aggravate various brain diseases.
Astrocytes surround glioblastoma tumors and play a significant role in rapid tumor growth. Using an animal model, they eliminated active astrocytes around the tumor. They applied a unique method to specifically eradicate astrocytes near the glioblastoma tumor and observed a dramatic outcome. Cancer disappeared within days and animals survived even after discontinuing the treatment.
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Starving Glioblastoma Cells
The findings indicate that astrocytes are essential to tumor progression and survival, which prompts them to investigate the underlying mechanisms of how astrocytes transform from being supportive to normal healthy brain cells into supporting malignant tumor growth.
To know the answer, they compared the gene expression of astrocytes isolated from healthy cells and malignant tumors. They found that astrocytes undergo changes when exposed to glioblastoma, wherein they support them instead of attacking the tumor and they become energy sources for cancer cells. This contributed to the rapid growth of tumors and eliminating this supply will effectively starve and kill them.
Technology Networks reports that starving glioblastoma cells from their energy source involve engineering astrocytes near the tumors to block the expression of a protein called ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), which exports cholesterol from cells. That means blocking ABCA1 prevents astrocytes to provide energy to the tumor so they will starve to death within a few days.
Researchers are also investigating databases of gene expression from hundreds of patients to see if they exhibit the same effect. They found that those with low gene expression live longer, supporting the hypothesis that gene expression is crucial in the development of glioblastoma.
The experiment was first done on mice and then on glioblastoma samples taken from human patients. Mayo explained that the findings shed light on the role of the blood-brain barrier in developing therapies for brain diseases.
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