Researchers from DZNE, University Hospital Bonn and the Cluster of Excellence 'ImmunoSensation' at the University of Bonn have observed glioblastoma cell infiltration in the living brain of mice using three-photon microscopy.
The study, published in Immunity, focuses on interactions between tumor cells and microglia, the brain's resident immune cells.
Key Details
- Observations were made in the "far infiltration zone," several millimeters from the primary tumor.
- Microglia behavior changed as the tumor spread: increased motility and surveillance when few tumor cells were present, but declined with higher infiltration.
- The team tested disabling a receptor used by microglia to sense their environment and pharmacologically depleting microglia.
- The data indicate that interactions between tumor cells and microglia play a role in glioblastoma invasion.
"Our data shows that interactions between tumor cells and microglia play an important role in glioblastoma invasion. Targeting microglial function, potentially by drugs, may therefore represent a promising avenue for limiting tumor spread and improving patient outcomes."
— Dr. Felix Nebeling, first author