Developing a new way to study the spread of neuroblastoma
New research published in the journal Cancer Research, with funding from Neuroblastoma UK, Cancer Research UK and Children with Cancer UK has helped create a new mouse model to help study neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer.
Neuroblastoma is a rare childhood cancer that develops from nerve cells (neuroblasts) left behind from a baby's development in the womb. It often spreads into different areas of the body and is resistant to conventional treatment.
The new mouse model allows scientists to take a deeper look at how neuroblastoma spreads, how the cancer develops resistance to traditional chemotherapy and what weaknesses could be exploited for the development of new treatments.
A more accurate representation
“Developing a new model to help us look at what makes the cancer so resilient...will form a basis for developing new and more innovative drugs in the future.”
To date, neuroblastoma research in mice has been limited, as the cancer hasn’t been able to spread around the mouse’s body by itself. This makes the data gathered less applicable to real-world scenarios.
In this new research, a mouse model which better reflects the real spread of neuroblastoma has been created and studied.
The mice showed changes to their tumours which closely resembled what happens in children with the disease.
The cancer spread of its own accord to new locations in the body, which mimicked the spread seen in children with neuroblastoma.
The cancer in the new model is resistant to cyclophosphamide, the common chemotherapy drug used to treat neuroblastoma. This makes it an even more accurate representation of the types of aggressive neuroblastomas seen in children.
Scientists also found that by treating the mice with a drug called CYT387, the progression of the tumours was slowed down, and survival rates of the mice went up. This could prove to be a fruitful avenue of exploration for future studies looking to discover new drugs to target neuroblastoma.
Staying ahead of current treatment options
Professor Louis Chesler, whose work has been funded by Neuroblastoma UK for a number of years says,
“Neuroblastoma is an aggressive cancer and difficult to treat. The new model we have developed will prove to be a useful tool in looking at what drives neuroblastoma, its growth and development.
Developing a new model to help us look at what makes the cancer so resilient, even as it is put under pressure from treatments, will help us understand how neuroblastomas are able to stay ahead of current treatment options, and will form a basis for developing new and more innovative drugs in the future.”
Read more: Read the full article by Institute of Cancer Research
Image: Neuroblastoma. Image credit: Dr Maria Tsokos, National Cancer Institute
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