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In a new study published in Cancer Cell, researchers at VIB-KU Leuven reduced the spread of glioblastoma by interrupting specific interactions between the brain's immune cells and tumor cells. The discovery points to a possible new therapeutic strategy, in which blocking communication between immune and cancer cells makes tumors more contained and easier to remove.

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, with a median patient survival of about 15 months. It is notoriously difficult to treat because tumor cells spread into the surrounding brain tissue, preventing the complete removal of the tumor. Total resection, however, is the strongest predictor of survival, meaning that finding ways to contain the tumor before surgery could be an important strategy to extend patients' lives.

To discover how glioblastoma invasion can be blocked, researchers at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, led by Gabriele Bergers, studied the interaction between tumor cells and microglia—the immune cells of the brain. Microglia promote glioblastoma progression by secreting certain proteins that tumor cells can use to grow. Yet, the role of lipids (fatty molecules) in this process has remained largely unexplored.

Using mouse models and tissue from glioblastoma patients, the researchers found that tumor cells use lipids released by microglia to become more mobile and invade healthy areas of the brain.

"We found that microglia release a specific type of lipid called lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) that binds to tumor cells, activating pathways that help them spread to further areas of the brain," explains first author Dr.

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