Study Locates a Genetic Cause of Glioblastoma

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have found that certain cases of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer, are the results of the fusion of two adjacent genes. The study also reveals that drugs that targeting the protein produced by this genetic aberration can dramatically slow the growth of glioblastomas in mice. The findings appear in the online edition of the journal Science.

“Our findings are doubly important,” says study leader Antonio Iavarone, MD, professor of pathology and neurology at CUMC, and a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. “From a clinical perspective, we have identified a druggable target for a brain cancer with a particularly dismal outcome. From a basic research perspective, we have found the first example of a tumor-initiating mutation that directly affects how cells divide, causing chromosomal instability. This discovery has implications for the understanding of glioblastoma, as well as others types of solid tumors.” For more information, click here to read the full release.