Functional interplay between cellular metabolism and genome integrity in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is among the deadliest of human cancers with conventional therapy offering only palliation. GBM accounts for the most frequent type of primary brain tumors in Europe and the USA, with a 5-year survival of patients of no more than 10 %. The median life expectancy of patients diagnosed with GBM has improved to only approximately 14 months, despite recent advances in the standard of care, which includes gross surgical resection followed by concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy with the DNA-alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ). The molecular mechanisms that underlie high recurrence rates and treatment resistance are poorly understood. This lecture covers introduction to glioblastoma biology, the key pro-survival pathways and their potential role as biomarkers and therapeutic targets based on our previous studies and recent observations.

Supported by the Danish Council for Independent Research/ Medical Sciences ID4765/11-105457; Czech Ministry of Health (NT11065-5); European Commission (projects Infla-Care, CZ. 1.07/2.3.00/20.0019, CZ.1.05/2.1.00/01.0030, DDResponse)