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Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) researchers will develop a new way of personalized treatment of the brain tumor. The project is supported by the Federal Targeted Program for Research and Development in Priority Areas of Development of the Russian Scientific and Technological Complex for 2014-2020. The grant will allow the team of the FEFU School of Biomedicine, in partnership with researchers from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) to continue the development of the original method of chemotherapy of glioblastoma multiforme using cellular technologies.

According to Igor Bryukhovetsky, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Cell Neurobiology at the FEFU School of Biomedicine, the treatment of the brain tumors is one of the most complex areas of modern medicine, and glioblastoma is one of the most common types of tumors that is characterized by high aggressiveness and resistance to treatment. Surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy do not ensure the preservation of the patient's life, the life expectancy of the patient from the moment of diagnosis rarely exceeds 1-2 years. Modern drugs and technologies are practically unable to effectively destroy one of the main causes of glioblastoma resistance—tumor stem cells. Cells of this type can dynamically change under the influence of irradiation and chemotherapy, evolve and generate new generations of tumor cells that are practically immune to therapy.

"We have been dealing with this issue for about 10 years. In the course of the research, it was concluded that traditional methods of treatment should be supplemented by new biomedical methods to block the main mechanisms of tumor stem cell generation in order to influence such a complex object. We decided to focus on the two main mechanisms of the formation of tumor stem cells—the regulation of the dedifferentiation process (which makes possible the transition of specialized cells to proliferation and unrestricted growth) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (the process by which the cell acquires the ability to overcome tissue barriers and penetrate healthy tissue brain)," said Igor Bryukhovetsky.

The research is based on the results of the previous achievements of the staff of the School of Biomedicine and will be carried out in close cooperation with the doctors of the FEFU Medical Center. In the future, the research will create an original method of glioblastoma chemotherapy using cellular technology and new pharmacological products. 

The focus of the research is the Wnt-signaling pathway, one of the strategically important ways to manage the growth and development of mammal and human cells. To influence this target, it is recommended to use known and tested drugs that showed high efficiency in the previous stages of the research. Individual analysis of the patient's stem cells will make it possible to find the most effective drug for suppressing tumor stem cells. FEFU has all the necessary conditions for this: the team of highly qualified researchers, equipment for genetic research, department of the neurosurgery at the university Medical Center for practical implementation.  

"This development is necessary and economically feasible. Now, our method can be introduced into clinical practice and provide real help to patients. In combination with classical chemotherapeutic drugs, it will be the next step in solving the problem of treating glioblastoma," said Igor Bryukhovetsky.

Studies will be conducted in collaboration with scientists from the University of Lausanne, who are also involved in the study of the Wnt-signaling pathway for the development of cancer cells. In the model of triple negative breast cancer, Swiss scientists are developing drugs that have an effect on the same properties of tumor cells that FEFU researchers investigate: pluripotency, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Joint research can make work more effective.