EAPSI: The Activation of Brain Immunology on Glioblastoma Cancer Tumors

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Brain cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer due to the difficulties involved in diagnosis and treatment. Treatments typically used against brain cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. More recently, immunotherapy has been used in clinical trials against brain cancer cells where the body?s own immune system can target cancer tumors. The brain, as part of the central nervous system, has its own immune system with immune cells known as microglia cells. Microglia cell activation has been seen to aid in regulating brain activity and brain repair. This project will investigate the biology of microglia cell activation on glioblastoma brain cancer tumors. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Dong Woon Kim at Chungnam National University in Daejeon, South Korea. This collaboration provides access to unique data that will enable new insights into glioblastoma and immunology. Microglia cell activation allows for immune response of the brain toward diseased or infectious agents; however, limited research has been performed on the biology of microglia activation on glioblastoma. This project will focus on using microglial activation on glioblastoma as well as the more resistant glioblastoma population known as glioblastoma stem cells. By the combined culture of glioblastoma cells with microglia cells, microglia cell activation will be observed through gene expression. Furthermore, glioblastoma stem cell expression will be tested under microglia activation. This project will allow for greater understanding of brain immunology in glioblastoma and as a potential aid in better cancer therapies. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the National Research Foundation of Korea.