Brain Tumour Research at the University of Portsmouth

"Laboratory-based research is fundamental to the provision of improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to brain tumours. Such research within the UK is notoriously poorly funded and only a few dedicated laboratories exist" says Geoff Pilkington, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Neuro-oncology at the University of Portsmouth.

The incidence of primary brain tumours has risen at an alarming level over the past few decades and these tumours generally bring with them a very poor diagnosis. Although they only rarely metastasise to distant organs, one of their major biological features is diffuse celllular invasion of the brain itself.

The Cellular and Molecular Neuro-oncololgy Research Group, which was established at Portsmouth following the re-location of Professor Geoff Pilkington from King's College London in 2003, has focused its research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms which underlie the migration of tumour cells and their invasion of normal brain tissue.

Once candidate "target" molecules have been identified, anti-invasive and pro-apoptotic translational medicine approaches are used in an attempt to formulate novel therapies, aimed at improving survival times and quality of life for patients. This could potentially lead to cures for the many different histological types of tumour that are included in this category of primary or intrinsic brain tumours.

Current research projects being undertaken at Portsmouth include:

- The interactive role of the cell adhesion molecules, CD44 and CD155 in facilitation of invasion of brain tumour cells into the normal brain.

- Modulation of ganglioside GD3/GD3A in potential therapeutic targeting for malignant brain tumour.

- The role of brain tumour cancer stem cells in migration and therapeutic resistance.

- Development of a three-dimensional “all-human” in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier for cancer metastasis studies.

- Nanoparticulate chemotherapeutic drug transporters for delivery across the blood brain barrier.

- Development of an All Human 3D in vitro model of Brain Tumour Invasion.

- NB2 ablation in monolayer & spheroid confrontation cultures of paediatric brain tumours: biological consequences & therapeutic possibilities

- Immunohistochemistry and Immuno-electron Microscopy in the identification of Cancer Stem Cells within Brain Tumours.

- Role of tricyclic drugs in mitochondrially-mediated apoptosis of glioma cells.

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