Glioblastoma May Decrease With Stem Cells

Glioblastoma is a aggressive form of brain cancer. Researchers from the University of North Carolina are currently testing Stem cells from the patients skin to help battle the cancer. Currently the cancer is treated by surgery removing the tumor followed by chemotherapy to try and destroy the remaining cancerous cells.

UNC has been using the stem cells from the skin of mice to treat the Giloblastoma. UNC Nernosurgen Dr. Matt Edwen said other therpy is need to increase odds of surviving the deadly disease.

We worked on this aspect of stem cells where the stem cells can actually chase cancer,” said UNC professor of molecular pharmaceutics Shawn Hingtgen

 Hingtgen said the new break though undergoes a process called Direct Reprogramming

“We would take your skin and directly convert it to ‘induced neuro-stem cells’ and explore them as a drug carrier for treating brain cancer,” he said.

Scientists can see the green stem cells hunting down the tumor cells In a test dish with pink human tumor cells

“So this is using the natural homing capacity of the cell as a carrier. Some people call them a Trojan horse,” said Hingtgen.

They seen survival rates doubled and tripled in test with mice. They are  hopeful the result would do the same in human patients.

“Those cells can see things that I can’t see as a surgeon. They can find cells I can’t find and would give us a chance to get rid of those last few remaining cells that cause the recurrences,” said Ewend.

Researchers are already collecting biopsies from glioblastoma patients to test the concept on human tissue.

They hope it will result in human trials and an effective therapy to add to current treatments. If ultimately successful in human trials, UNC researchers envision the concept being adapted to fight other types of brain cancer, including pediatric cases and “breast-to-brain- cancer” in women.