Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Alberta Cancer Foundation - Research (bridge funding)

Malignant gliomas, also called high-grade astrocytomas, are the most common and deadly brain cancers in adults. 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. Malignant gliomas are difficult to treat because by the time the tumour is discovered, cells have already migrated 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 malignant gliomas and the cells from which these tumours are derived will provide important information on how to control the growth of brain tumours. Towards this end, we are studying brain fatty acid-binding protein (abbreviated as B-FABP), which is normally found in a type of brain cells called radial glia. We have previously shown that B-FABP is located at sites of infiltration in malignant glioma tumours and that B-FABP expression correlates with increased cell migration in malignant glioma cell lines. These observations have led us to hypothesize that the growth and invasive properties of malignant glioma can be controlled through the B-FABP pathway. Our objectives are: (i) to investigate the pathways and mechanisms by which B-FABP promotes cell migration in malignant glioma cells, (ii) to identify ways of inhibiting cell migration in B-FABP-positive malignant glioma cells, and (iii) to establish an in vivo mouse model of malignant glioma that can be used to test the effects of B-FABP and its fatty acid binding partners on tumour growth and migration.