Study finds adult brain cancer mechanisms

Dr. Steven Pollard (MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine) and colleagues have found two key molecules that drive the growth of an aggressive type of adult brain cancer.  Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge and University College London, carried out studies on tumour cells from patients with glioblastoma - a rare but aggressive type of brain cancer. Two molecules that are produced at high levels by the cells were identified –  FOXG1 and SOX2 - both of which work by controlling when key target genes are switched on and off by the cell. These findings shed light on the mechanisms that underpin the progression of brain cancer  and could potentially reveal targetted therapies.