Brain tumor

A new technique for detecting glial tumors, including glioblastoma, through a non-invasive blood test, has been validated in a study at Imperial College London. This innovation promises to improve early detection, personalize treatment, and increase survival rates for brain tumor patients by reducing the need for risky surgical biopsies.A simple blood test could help diagnose patients with the deadliest form of brain cancer, sparing them from undergoing invasive, highly risky surgery.In a world-first, the new technique…

Depiction of europium complexes changing structure upon interacting with a tumor cell. Credit: Mengfei Wang, et al. Scientific Reports. January 22, 2024A water-soluble, luminescent europium complex enables evaluation of malignancy grade in model glioma tumor cells.An important part of choosing the most suitable cancer therapy is understanding the malignancy of the tumor; however, current methods for evaluating brain tumor malignancy are invasive and have a high risk of complications.Collaborative research led by Professor…

Image of novel brain organoid model showing its characteristic convoluted shaped and extended neuroepithelium. The neurons present in the organoid are shown in different colors depending on their location within the tissue. Credit: Benedetta Artegiani, Delilah Hendriks, Anna PagliaroResearchers from the Princess Máxima Center and the Hubrecht Institute have developed advanced brain organoids that closely resemble the human cortex. These organoids, named Expanded Neuroepithelium Organoids (ENOs), mimic the brain’s…

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University say they’ve developed a gel-based treatment that might be incredibly effective at treating an often-fatal brain cancer. In a study of mice released this week, the gel in combination with surgery was found to eradicate 100% of glioblastoma tumors. It will take more research and safety testing before we can think of trying out this method in humans, however.Mental Health Apps Are a Privacy NightmareGlioblastoma is the most common form of brain cancer, accounting for around half of all…

Cancer cells to travel in Space as part of research on illness that killed Neil Armstrong's daughterIn order to better understand how to diffuse midline glioma spreads in microgravity, researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research are sending samples of the disease to the International Space Station. The majority of patients with diffuse midline glioma, a deadly and aggressive brain tumour that most frequently affects children, pass away within 18 months of their diagnosis. Because the cancer is in…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)New research this week suggests that an aggressive brain cancer can hijack the brain’s own circuitry to further spread and render itself unstoppable. Researchers in Germany studied glioblastoma cells in mice and in the lab, finding that these tumors use some of the same mechanisms behind normal neuron development and migration to systematically invade the brain. The research may one day allow scientists to develop better treatments for the almost always fatal condition.Though brain cancer…