Follow the evolution of the most widespread and aggressive brain tumor, glioblastoma, from the very first malignant cells, to pave the way for new treatment possibilities. Today it is possible thanks to a genetic ‘bar code’, which makes each tumor cell traceable in time and space, so as to be able to follow the growth of the tumor mass.
It was developed by researchers at the Irccs Policlinico San Martino in Genoa using advanced molecular biology techniques and computational models. The results of the experimental investigation conducted on an animal model were published in the journal Cancer Cell.
With about 1500 new cases a year in Italy, glioblastoma is the most common brain tumor but also the most aggressive and little known in its early stages. More frequent in men than in women, it accounts for 45% of all brain tumors. “The therapy is complex and does not yet offer a definitive solution – observes Paolo Malatesta, co-author of the study, professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Genoa – Currently, the life expectancy for patients is less than three years”.
To better understand the evolution of the disease, the San Martino researchers have developed a model of glioblastoma which has made it possible to trace every single neoplastic cell, in time and space. “We have introduced a sort of ‘barcode’ into the cells to be monitored, a particular string of DNA that allows them to be followed thanks to sophisticated sequencing techniques”, explains Davide Ceresa, co-author of the study and researcher at San Martino.
“The dynamics of cellular competition – he adds – seem to play a primary role in determining the development of glioblastoma, even in more advanced stages of its growth”. Thanks to the analysis of the transcriptome, ie the set of transcribed genes, the researchers have also identified the Myc gene, already known for its role in other tumors, as one of the main culprits of this process of clonal selection. The hope is that the results will help find information to “better understand and fight this cancer”.
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