BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Catastrophic vacuolization

April 10, 2014 7:00 AM UTC

Karolinska Institute scientists have found a way to attack glioblastoma multiforme-one of the most deadly forms of brain cancer-by inducing an unconventional cell death pathway that triggers catastrophic vacuolization.1 The team identified a small molecule that prolonged survival in a mouse model of glioblastoma without affecting normal brain tissue, but it will likely need to combine the compound with a conventional anticancer agent to translate it for clinical use.

The Karolinska team looked for a nonconventional therapy for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) because compounds that target tumorigenic pathways have barely made a dent in the disease...