A knockout screen for mediators of therapy resistance in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain cancer, with most patients surviving only about 15 months. One of the reasons why these cancers are so lethal that some cancer cells can "hide" by entering a dormant state. These cells resist treatment and can later "wake up" and cause the tumour to grow again, making glioblastoma very difficult to treat. 

Our research aims to understand how glioblastoma cells enter and exit this dormant state. Using a technique called CRISPR, we will search for genes that control this behaviour. We will also study how dormant cells differ depending on whether or not they are treated with the chemotherapy drug Temozolomide. By analysing large sets of gene expression data, we hope to pinpoint the most important genes that allow these dormant cells to reactivate after treatment. We hope that this information will allow us to find drugs that could make dormant glioblastoma cells sensitive to chemotherapy and/or prevent glioblastoma from coming back.

Ultimately, our work could lead to new treatment strategies that are used alongside current therapies to stop glioblastoma from recurring. The goal is to improve survival and outcomes for patients battling this devastating cancer.