CutCancer team has visited the group of docent dr. Lovisa Lundholm from Stockholm University, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, which is interested in biological and physical factors affecting cellular and molecular effects of ionising radiation. Focus is on DNA damage and repair, chromatin structure, low doses, low dose rates, mixed radiation qualities, fractionation and modulation by chemical and physical factors. Cancer Biology unit from NIB presented a lecture on radio-resistance in brain tumours. Glioblastoma (GB) remains a lethal disease despite current standard treatment with maximal surgical resection, radiation, and temozolomide (TMZ) therapy. One aspect that hinders drug development and study of GB therapeutic response is the lack of an appropriate in vitro model that represents the complexity of patients’ tumours. To address these limitations, we have established patient-derived GB organoids (GBOs) that reflect the complexity, heterogeneity and resistance to clinical therapies of the original tumour tissue. We have shown GBOs recapitulate GB therapy resistance and are as such highly efficient platform to assess the specific responses of GB patients to radiotherapy to further explore therapy resistance. The discussion followed on how to incorporate cancer research that is done at NIB with research done at SU and improve the research studies and activities on CutCancer project.


