Exploring therapeutic opportunities in the brain tumor microenvironment

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors and the highest-grade glioma, glioblastoma (GBM), is arguably the most aggressive tumor type, with virtually no long-term survivors. Patients with GBM are intensively treated with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, and tumor treating fields. Despite initial response, all tumors recur as incurable lesions; there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches for this patient group. 

Recent advances have established a central role for the tumor microenvironment (TME) in determining the therapeutic response of brain tumor cells, and our lab has demonstrated that standard of care radiotherapy of the primary tumor can shape the microenvironment to generate tumor-supportive conditions in the recurrent tumor. These findings suggest thatthere is untapped potential in targeting the irradiated microenvironment.

We posit that a better understanding of how radiotherapy and hypoxia re-educates the brain microenvironment will provide new treatment strategies for aggressive gliomas.

We are part of the Division of Translational Cancer Research, Lund University Cancer Center at Medicon Village in Lund, Sweden.

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Hi Bluesky! 👋 We’re the Alexander Pietras Lab, exploring the complexities of the brain tumor microenvironment. We study how therapies like radiotherapy reshape it and seek innovative ways to outsmart tumors. Follow for updates on our discoveries, collaborations, and science-in-action snapshots! 🧠✨— Alexander Pietras Lab (@pietraslab.bsky.social) 15 November 2024 at 13:49