Cell Rep: A new mechanism for brain cancer resistance.

16, 2020 /UPI) -- --- A study by researchers at Uppsala University, which surveyed a large sample of cells in patients with brain tumors, found how changes in glioblastoma cells affect the effects of different drugsTheir findings were published in the journal Cell ReportsGlioblastoma is a serious form of brain cancer and has a poor prognosisGlioblastoma tumors contain many patient-specific genetic distortionsDespite this, there is still a lack of effective treatment"This is the starting point for our study, in which we examined the response of glioblastoma cells from 100 Uppsala patients to different drugsTo do this, we used cell cultures grown from patient samples and tested more than 1,500 drugs to see how cells react," said Professor Sven Nelander of the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University(Photo source:The researchers then used an algorithm to study which changes in cancer cells best predict the effects of a particular drugUsing this characterization, they were able to group tumors and identify two main subgroups based on drug responses and mutations in certain genes"By characterizing cells at multiple levels, we have found unexpected links between important genes and pathways and different drugsThis, in turn, has led us to find new ways to combine different drugs to make the most of themTherefore, our results provide us with a good starting pointFurther research was carried out to improve accuracy and make the treatment suitable for different glioblastoma patientsThey can also be used to discover new uses for existing drugs"(Bioon.com) Source: Unexpected Associations Found From Drug Response and Cell Changes in Brain Cancer Original Source: Patrik Johansson et al, A Patient-Derived Cell Atlas Informs Target of Glio blastoma, Cell Reports (2020)DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107897.