Objectives of the research project are to reveal new mechanisms of glioblastoma therapeutic resistance and specifically to elucidate the role of interactions between mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) in tumors.
3D spheroid co-cultures of glioblastoma stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells before and after irradiation.
The project addresses the problem of glioblastoma therapy resistance that results in tumor recurrence and early death of patients. There is increasing evidence of a key role of complex interactions between cancer cell and non-cancerous stromal cells in glioblastoma therapy resistance, in particular in tumor microenvironment, where mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are comprising a significant fraction of the cell types present. MSC-based therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma has become an important focus of research, but the role and function of MSCs in glioblastoma are still largely unknown.
To address the research questions, we are using different in vitro and in vivo experimental models: patient-derived organoids, in vitro cellular co-cultures and xenotransplanted zebrafish embryos. Several molecular biology techniques are employed, including quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), immunostaining, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, invasion assays and cytokine arrays.
Studying glioblastoma progression after transplantation in the brain of zebrafish embryo.
This project is financed by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS).
Project ID: Z3-1870
Duration: 01.07.2019 – 28.02.2022
