EAPSI: The Activation of Brain Immunology on Glioblastoma Cancer Tumors

由于诊断和治疗的困难，脑癌是最致命的癌症之一。通常用于治疗脑癌的疗法包括手术、化疗和放射治疗。最近，免疫疗法已经被用于治疗脑癌细胞的临床试验中？S自己的免疫系统可以靶向癌症肿瘤。大脑作为中枢神经系统的一部分，拥有自己的免疫系统，免疫细胞被称为小胶质细胞。小胶质细胞的激活被认为有助于调节大脑活动和大脑修复。本项目将研究小胶质细胞激活在胶质母细胞瘤脑肿瘤中的生物学作用。该项目将与韩国大田忠南国立大学的金东云博士合作进行。这种合作提供了对独特数据的访问，这些数据将使人们能够对胶质母细胞瘤和免疫学有新的见解。小胶质细胞的激活允许大脑对疾病或感染性物质的免疫反应；然而，关于小胶质细胞激活在胶质母细胞瘤中的生物学作用的研究有限。该项目将专注于将小胶质细胞激活用于治疗胶质母细胞瘤以及更耐药的胶质母细胞瘤群体，即胶质母细胞瘤干细胞。通过胶质母细胞瘤细胞和小胶质细胞的联合培养，可以通过基因表达观察到小胶质细胞的激活。此外，胶质母细胞瘤干细胞的表达将在小胶质细胞激活的情况下进行测试。该项目将使人们更好地了解脑胶质母细胞瘤的免疫学，并为更好的癌症治疗提供潜在的帮助。该奖项由东亚和太平洋暑期学院项目资助一名美国研究生的暑期研究，由NSF和韩国国家研究基金会共同资助。

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.