New study identifies how cells change to drive Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and deadly brain cancer in adults, has a median survival rate of approximately 15 months and causes more deaths in adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer type. 

It is driven by highly adaptable cancer stem cells, which enable tumours to mimic normal, healthy brain cells and develop resistance to therapy.

A study, led by Alex Loftus and Margaret Frame at Edinburgh Cancer Research in the Institute of Genetics and Cancer, discovered that ILK, which cells use to sense and interact with their surroundings, is essential for enabling GBM cells to change into states that mimic healthy brain cells called astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. 

Without ILK, GBM cells fail to respond to signals that usually trigger these changes. Instead, cells that lack ILK are captured in a state that other researchers have found to be particularly susceptible to radiotherapy.

The researchers found that ILK controls these changes by enabling the function of a second protein named STAT3 in the lab and in animals. Targeting STAT3 using clinically-approved drugs reduced the ability of GBM cells to mimic astrocytes. 

Finally, when looking at data from GBM patients, they found that high amounts of ILK in tumours are linked to high STAT3 function and the presence of proteins related to tumour aggression and astrocyte mimicry. They conclude that ILK, in both the lab and in patients, is a key driver of change and adaptability in GBM (or something similar).

Links

Read the full paper in Developmental Cell: An ILK/STAT3 pathway controls glioblastoma stem cell plasticity: Developmental Cell