Brain cancer cell heterogeneity, plasticity and underlying resistance to chemo- and radiotherapies

Cancer cells are infamous for escaping treatments by rapidly changing their identity. The mechanism underlying such cellular plasticity is at the forefront of clinical oncology. However, the influence of the human brain on the progression and identity of cancer cells is poorly understood. We will test how human cerebrospinal fluid may cause the failure of current chemo- and radiotherapies by inducing cellular plasticity and evaluate new patient-specific treatments that may address this problem.