QIMR Berghofer breakthrough in brain cancer, other diseases

Landmark findings into the way dormant brain stem cells operate could create alternative methods to tackle brain cancer and degenerative diseases.

The research was conducted by Brisbane’s QIMR Berghofer.

Landmark findings into the way dormant brain stem cells operate could create alternative methods to tackle brain cancer and degenerative diseases.

For the first time, QIMR Berghofer researchers have mapped how brain stem cells transition in and out of resting and active states, known as quiescence.

By analysing this sleep state, the Queensland researchers, in collaboration with the Francis Crick Institute, were able to understand how the brain repaired itself and fought against neurodegenerative disorders by entering shallow and deep sleep stages.

But the new findings could present future applications for brain cancer treatment, as tumour cells were known to take over the resting state to dodge therapies like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Brain tumours, specifically aggressive forms of brain cancer, were typically harder to treat because some cancer cells could move into a dormant state, becoming invisible to standard treatments that target active cancer cells.

When in a dormant state, cancer cells can survive initial therapy, but can then reactivate and drive tumour growth.

The study’s senior author Dr Lachlan Harris said the discovery was the first time researchers detailed how brain stem cells move between deep resting, shallow resting, and active resting stages.

“We already knew that brain stem cells could exist in these deep and shallow states of sleep and why … what we (have now) demonstrated is how this process is controlled and the proteins that control this process,” Dr Harris said.

“It’s a transformational step that builds on an ancient biological process, offering hope for tackling one of the most stubborn challenges in medicine.”

Dr Harris said understanding how stem cells move through the deep and shallow sleep stages would be “transformational” for brain health and cancer therapies.

“It doesn’t just advance our understanding of brain biology – it provides a road map for developing entirely new approaches to treating brain cancer or other neurological disease,” he said.

“If we can understand how stem cells in the brain wake up, we might be able to harness those cells to treat degenerative conditions.

“Alternatively, in a completely different application it has been shown that brain cancers hijack this state … to avoid chemotherapy and radiotherapy. So we can understand how this state of quiescence is regulated, we may also be able to design therapies for cancers of the nervous system.”

Dr Harris said while the research was in its very early stages, it had the potential to be used globally to design therapeutic strategies across a broad spectrum of conditions.

Originally published as QIMR Berghofer breakthrough in brain cancer, other diseases