Grant: Operating Grant

The most common and deadly brain cancers in adults are called glioblastoma. Also referred to as malignant glioma or grade IV astrocytoma, these tumours originate in the brain and invade normal brain tissue, making treatment difficult. Patients diagnosed with these tumours usually die within two years in spite of being aggressively treated with a combination of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Glioblastomas are difficult to treat because by the time the tumour is discovered, cells have already moved away from the main tumour mass. As a result, these cells can evade treatment centered on the main tumour mass. It is clear that new approaches are needed if we are to make a significant impact on disease outcome. A better understanding of the biology of glioblastoma and the cells from which these tumours are derived will provide important information on how to control the growth of brain tumours. In the brain, there are proteins that act as transporters of fatty acids. These fatty acid-binding proteins (B-FABP) are the focus of our study. We have previously discovered an association between B-FABP and the ability of tumour cells to spread within the brain. This observation has led us to propose that the growth and invasive properties of glioblastoma can be controlled through B-FABP. Our objectives are: (i) to investigate how B-FABP promotes cell spread in glioblastomas tumours, (ii) to identify ways of inhibiting cell spread in glioblastomas that express B-FABP, and (iii) to establish a live laboratory mouse model that will be used to examine how B-FABP, and the fatty acids that bind to B-FABP, can be manipulated to control tumour growth within the brain.