| Project title | Can We Find Genes That Predict Which GBM Patient Will Become a Long Term Survivor? |
|---|---|
Grant Amount | $40,000 |
Institution | Kolling Institute of Medical Research |
Investigator Team | Principal investigator Dr. Kerrie McDonald |
Grant Type | Fellowship |
Years | 2007 – 2008 |
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive cancers and is associated with a high mortality rate. A minority group of GBM patients exhibit extraordinary survival of over 3 years after initial surgical diagnosis. These patients are called ‘long term survivors’.
At present, no biomarkers have been discovered that could predict which GBM patient will be a long term survivor. Dr. Kerrie McDonald aims to identify and validate genes associated with the long term survivors.
Progress: Final report (2008)
This project has confirmed that there are molecular features specific to glioblastomas of long term survivors. These molecular features are more commonly genes over-represented in the short term survivors cohort and thus resulting in a more malignant and aggressive phenotype associated with shorter survival.
This is the first study to show an overexpression of the genes RDH12, exclusively to long-term survivor patients.
This project has also confirmed a previous finding that the MGMT promoter methylation is more prevalent in the long-term survivor group. This could mean that patients with lower levels of MGMT are more responsive to alkylating chemotherapy treatment.