Researchers Reveal Strategy to Impede Growth of Glioblastoma

(MENAFN) A recent breakthrough from the University of Michigan reveals a novel strategy to impede the progression of glioblastoma, a highly lethal form of brain cancer. Researchers found that by disrupting how these tumors metabolize nutrients, they can potentially slow their aggressive growth. This development offers new hope for a disease that typically gives patients only one to two years to live, despite current treatments like surgery and chemotherapy. According to SciTechDaily, glioblastomas frequently return and develop resistance to therapy, a phenomenon scientists have long attributed to the cancer cells' metabolic adaptability.

A study in Nature confirms that glioblastoma cells process sugar differently from healthy brain tissue. Researchers injected labeled glucose into both human patients and mice, observing that while normal brain cells convert sugar into energy and other compounds essential for function, the cancer cells divert this sugar to create the building blocks for DNA and RNA, thus accelerating their proliferation.

"It’s a metabolic fork in the road," said Andrew Scott, a research scholar on the team. "The brain channels sugar into energy and neurotransmitters, but tumors use it to make materials for more cancer cells."

The study also found that glioblastomas deactivate a crucial pathway for producing amino acids, which are vital for protein creation. This forces the tumors to acquire amino acids like serine and glycine directly from the bloodstream. Based on this discovery, the team experimented with dietary changes to interrupt tumor growth.

"When we got rid of the amino acids serine and glycine in the mice, their response to radiation and chemotherapy was better and the tumors were smaller," stated co-senior author Deepak Nagrath, a professor of biomedical engineering.

Mathematical models derived from the research suggest that blocking these specific nutrient 'highways' used by tumors could be an effective and targeted treatment approach that spares healthy brain cells.

"This is a multidisciplinary effort from across the university," said co-senior author Daniel Wahl, an associate professor of radiation oncology. "Our study may help create new treatment opportunities for patients in the near future."

The research team is now working to initiate clinical trials to determine if restricting amino acids in the diet can also benefit glioblastoma patients, potentially providing a new lifeline against one of the deadliest cancers.

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