Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant brain cancer that is refractory to standard surgical, radiation, and chemotherapeutic interventions. The average survival for patients after diagnosis is less than two years, and this has improved little in the past few decades. Hence, a better understanding of the basic cellular and molecular events that contribute to GBM initiation and progression may lead to new therapeutic strategies to benefit patients. We have discovered a new pathway in GBM cells, comprised of the Mlc1 and GlialCAM proteins, that plays important roles in promoting tumor cell invasive growth. In this project we will develop strategies to target the Mlc1-GlialCAM pathway using pre-clini...

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Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant brain cancer that is refractory to standard surgical, radiation, and chemotherapeutic interventions. The average survival for patients after diagnosis is less than two years, and this has improved little in the past few decades. Hence, a better understanding of the basic cellular and molecular events that contribute to GBM initiation and progression may lead to new therapeutic strategies to benefit patients. We have discovered a new pathway in GBM cells, comprised of the Mlc1 and GlialCAM proteins, that plays important roles in promoting tumor cell invasive growth. In this project we will develop strategies to target the Mlc1-GlialCAM pathway using pre-clinical mouse models of GBM and primary patient samples. The long-term goal is to translate these basic research discoveries to the clinic to block tumor cell invasion and improve survival of patients with GBM.

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