Characterising Telomere-Driven Genome Instability in Gliomas

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common adult brain cancer and has an average survival from diagnosis of just 15 months. We need both a better ability to predict survival and to urgently identify new targeted therapies.

Telomeres are caps on the ends of the chromosomes which carry genetic material (DNA) in our cells. Telomeres can become dysfunctional in cancer cells leading to problems such as chromosomes fusing together. This is a key step for the development of many cancers and recently we have shown this to be the case in GBM.

Interestingly, we have found that measuring the length of telomeres in GBM tumours is a powerful predictor of patient survival. Additionally, we found that chromosome fusions are common in GBM patients, and there might be specific repair mechanisms for the damaged DNA which could be suitable for targeted treatments.

In this project, we now hope to learn:

• How telomere length and other factors work together to affect GBM patient survival?
• Do we see similar results in larger patient groups (including patients from clinical trials)?
• Does the type of DNA damage repair in patients with GBM make them more likely to benefit from certain targeted therapies?
  

Understanding more about GBM patients' telomeres could help us to predict prognosis and to gauge who will benefit from targeted treatments.