Researchers Identify Critical Genes Responsible for Brain-tumor Growth

In a study recently published in the journal Cell Reports, researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center via the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute identified the role of a family of genes underlying tumor growth in a wide spectrum of high-grade brain tumors. Researchers first modeled high-grade brain tumors from resident stem cells inside the brain, using a cutting edge method of rapid modeling that can create up to five distinct tumor models within 45 minutes. After effectively modeling high-grade brain tumors, researchers identified the Ets family of genes as contributors to the development of gliomas. These Ets factors function to regulate the behavior of tumor cells by controlling expression of genes necessary for tumor growth and cell fate. When expression of the Ets genes is blocked, researchers can identify and strategize novel treatment therapies. “Any given tumor can harbor a variety of different combinations of mutations,” said the study’s last author. “The ability to rapidly model unique combinations of driver mutations from a patient’s tumor enhances our quest to create patient-specific animal models of human brain tumors.” To read more about this study, click here.