Disrupting the migration pattern of pediatric high-grade gliomas through motility trapping as an innovative therapeutic strategy
High-grade gliomas (HGG) are the most aggressive brain tumors, affecting both adults and children with a very poor prognosis. Despite aggressive treatment, all HGG remain incurable to date. A major cause of this therapeutic failure is the strong migratory capacity of these tumors: individual tumor cells detach from the primary tumor and infiltrate the surrounding brain tissue, where they escape local therapies such as resection and radiotherapy.
Figure showing the migratory behavior of high-grade gliomas. MRI scan (A) and histological section (B) of the same animal with a high-grade glioma (generated in the 4Brain lab). On MRI, only a small tumor is visible (white arrow), whereas the histological section, in which all tumor cells are fluorescently labeled green, shows that tumor cells are widely dispersed throughout the brain.
The direction of migration of these cells is guided by chemical signals (chemoattractants) in the brain tissue. This project aims to therapeutically exploit this migratory behavior through motility trapping: an innovative strategy in which migrating tumor cells are attracted back to the original tumor site by implantation of a chemoattractant-releasing hydrogel. As a result, escaped cells are again exposed to local therapies, with the goal of increasing the effectiveness of surgery and radiotherapy.
Visual representation of the principle of motility trapping. After tumor resection, migratory tumor cells are attracted back to the site of origin by implanting a chemoattractant-loaded gel in the resection cavity. Next, local radiotherapy is administered and is now able to target a larger number of tumor cells.
Researcher(s) involved in this research line:
-
Robrecht Raedt
Professor Robrecht Raedt, PhD, is leading the preclinical 4Brain research lab, with a main focus on new treatment techniques as a treatment for various neuropsychiatric disorders (epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, glioblastoma).
-
-
