Brain Tumor

Scientists have created a new zebrafish xenograft platform to screen for novel treatments for an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma, according to a new study by the Gerhardt and De Smet labs published in “EMBO Molecular Medicine.”

Every year, some 510,000 people in Germany are diagnosed with cancer – and there are over four million people in the country today living with a cancer diagnosis. On the occasion of World Cancer Day on February 4, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) is giving media representatives an opportunity to hear from experts on the current state of cancer research.

In late May, some 350 scientists met at the MDC for the 10th Brain Tumor Meeting. The president of this conference series, Professor Helmut Kettenmann, recounts the event’s highlights and explains why brain tumor research needs to differentiate between men and women.

Dr. Omar Dzaye is investigating ways to help immunotherapy drugs cross the blood-brain barrier more easily, so that they can be more effective in fighting brain cancer. An Else Kröner Memorial Grant will now allow him to carry out further research in this field.

Mutations that could potentially cause cancer happen all the time in our cells, but many seem to be blocked by natural defenses against the disease. These protective mechanisms might provide a starting point for the development of potent new therapies; unfortunately, they have been elusive.