Bangalore, 24/12: A recent IISc research has identified a molecule generated by brain cancer cells, which could be targeted to cure Glioblastoma, an advanced type of cancer.
The finding has implications in developing new drugs to better treat the cancer arising from the brain’s glial cells. Glioblastoma is the second most common cancer among children and is in the top 10 cancers to affect adults. It usually recurs after traditional treatment with low survival rates.
Gliomas are tumours with two types of cells — a small number of ‘stem cells’ that start the tumour, which then creates ‘bulk cells’ around.
While recent research has focused on stem cells that actually trigger the tumour, IISc research looked at the bulk cells and found them generating the molecule FMOD in large amounts. FMOD interacts with the endothelial cells in the patient’s body promoting growth of large blood vessels nourishing the tumour.
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