Our Research

The Oli Hilsdon Foundation is funding a 5 year research project at University College London led by Professor Simona Parrinello entitled ‘Mapping Glioblastoma Invasion’ through The Brain Tumour Charity. The project is using new techniques to map the invasion of tumour cells, helping researchers develop more effective therapies that will help block tumour cells from spreading and prevent recurrence.

The Need

Glioblastomas are diffuse in nature, meaning that the tumour cells spread from the original tumour through healthy parts of the brain. This is through a process called invasion, which makes it difficult to completely remove the tumour during surgery. Due to this, recurrence is a risk with Glioblastoma as the tumour cells left behind can grow into a new tumour. At recurrence, prognosis is typically months.

Growing Our Understanding

Professor Parrinello, and her colleagues at Imperial College London, aim to understand how glioblastomas spread into the brain and how they use small molecules as messengers to communicate with surrounding cells. It is likely that glioblastoma use different molecules to communicate with different types of cells, which makes identifying the various molecules difficult.

The multi-disciplinary research team are investigating this communication by combining both biological and mathematical principles and using two new techniques called spatial transcriptomics and intravital photoacoustic imaging (PAI).

Spatial transcriptomics is a technique that allows researchers to characterise different cells while preserving information about the cells’ original location. Characterisation of the cells means that we will know what changes are present in cells at each location. If the changes vary in different areas of the tumour it gives us insight into how to develop more specific treatments.

PAI is an advanced imaging technique that uses light and sound to create high resolution images. The research team will use PAI to create images of the brain that will help them visualise the invasion of glioblastoma cells deep inside the brain.

These two techniques will allow the researchers to map the invasion process and identify key molecules that help the tumour cells spread. This understanding will help researchers develop more effective therapies that will help block tumour cells from spreading and prevent recurrence.

Why is it Important?

There is a lack of understanding about how a Glioblastoma invades the surrounding brain. This is due to the fact that:

• Tumour cells that spread deep into the brain cannot be studied easily
• There are considerable differences within a single tumour and between each person
• The brain is complex and contains many different types of cells in different regions of the brain

These obstacles are some of the reasons that, even with the current gold standard of care, a Glioblastoma diagnosis comes with a poor prognosis of 12-18 months and, even after treatment, tumour recurrence is very likely.

This research project aims to address all these obstacles. It will fill a significant gap in our knowledge, namely ‘why do Glioblastomas keep coming back?’. The project will help us find drug targets to prevent tumour recurrence.

Impact

By addressing the current, prohibitive obstacles to extended or long-term survival, this research project will provide fundamental insights into the governing principles of Glioblastoma recurrence and identify novel therapeutic strategies to block tumour cells from spreading and prevent recurrence. This work has the potential to benefit every patient with a Glioblastoma and provide much-needed hope for a future where brain tumours are defeated.