| Project title | Pre-clinical evaluation of TRAIL sensitivity in malignant glioma |
|---|---|
Grant Amount | $9,864 |
Investigator Team | Principal investigators Christine Hawkins with associate investigators |
Grant Type | Ad Hoc |
Years | 2006 – 2007 |
High grade malignant glioma is a type of brain tumour that is currently essentially incurable, with most patients dying within a year of diagnosis. Novel, more effective treatments are therefore urgently required.
TRAIL is an exciting novel candidate for treating cancers such as malignant glioma, as it kills cells through distinct pathways from those triggered by conventional anti-cancer treatments. Clinical trials evaluating the safety of TRAIL and related agents are currently being conducted, and it seems likely that these agents will become clinically available.
Dr. Hawkins will investigate TRAIL sensitivity and signalling in glioma cells, taken from tumours that have been removed during surgery.
Progress: Final report (2007)
In this study we explored TRAIL and anti-TRAIL receptor signalling in freshly resected gliomas and early passage glioma cell lines, as these are likely to mimic characteristics of glioma cells in vivo.
We also evaluated the factors influencing the sensitivity of glioma cells to TRAIL and agonistic antibodies. This data will help predict which patients are likely to benefit from treatment with TRAIL or related agents. Definition of these factors, and any potential mechanisms of resistance in glioma cells, will therefore contribute to the development of diagnostic reagents. Our data may also assist in the development of potential therapeutic strategies to sensitise unresponsive gliomas to TRIAL.