MBP Scientist Searching for Novel Ways to Target Glioblastoma Stem Sells

MBP researcher Dr. Phedias Diamandis is hoping to find a way to better target the cells responsible for the development of glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer.

Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) are considered to be the initiating foundational cells from which tumors develop and grow. This type of cell is extremely resistant and often survives treatment, leading to recurrence of cancers like glioblastoma.

“The goal of our study is to understand the biology of CSCs and the role they play in glioblastoma recurrence,” says Dr. Diamandis. “We believe that CSCs evolve to resist traditional therapeutic approaches, and hope that when this happens, they also develop an Achilles heel that we could leverage to target them.”

Dr. Diamandis was named a 'Terry Fox New Investigator' for 2020 and as such his lab will receive a total of $450,000 from the Terry Fox Research Institute and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research over the next three years to conduct this research.

Read more about this story on the Terry Fox Research Institute website.