Defining the roles of fibroblast growth factor receptors on glioblastoma stem-like and non-stem cell populations

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Glioblastoma is the most common type of brain cancer in adults, with no known cure. The complex mixture of different types of cancer cells, normal cells and proteins in the environment surrounding the cancer makes finding new therapies difficult. Our project will investigate how a protein called FGF2 influences different types of glioblastoma cells within a given tumour. We are researching the way in which FGF2 affects these different types of glioblastoma cells in different ways, with some becoming more aggressive in direct response to FGF2. We propose that FGF2 does this by attaching to different types of receptors on the surface of the different cell types. We will investigate how each cancer cell type can be distinguished by the specific receptors they have on their surface, and also which receptors cause the most severe responses and how these are distributed within any given tumour. By understanding the function of FGF2 and its receptors, we can get a better understanding of the aggressive nature of glioblastoma and use this to help with the development of new treatments. This will help us to focus more targeted drugs at these specific receptors, and also importantly, provides a means of predicting which patients would benefit most from this therapy.