The genetic pathway of childhood cancer has been further understood by scientists, leading to new possibilities for personalized treatments. Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a stem cell model to study the origins of neuroblastoma, a cancer that mainly impacts babies and young children. Neuroblastoma is the most frequent childhood tumor outside the brain, impacting around 600 children inThe European Union and the United Kingdom invest significantly in researching genetic changes and their impact on neuroblastoma each year.
For a long time, it has been difficult to study the genetic changes that lead to neuroblastoma due to the lack of appropriate laboratory methods. However, a new model developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield, in partnership with the St Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute in Vienna, is now able to replicate the early emergence of neuroblastoma cancer-like cells, providing valuable insights into the genetic pathway of the disease.
The findings of the research, which were published in Nature Communications, offer a better understanding of the complex genetic pathways that trigger neuroblastoma. This international collaboration has paved the way for significant progress in studying and understanding the disease.The research team discovered that specific mutations in chromosomes 17 and 1, along with the overactivation of the MYCN gene, are crucial in the development of aggressive neuroblastoma tumors. Childhood cancer is often diagnosed late, making it difficult for researchers to understand the conditions that lead to tumor initiation, which occurs early during fetal development. Models that replicate the conditions leading to tumor formation are essential for understanding tumor initiation. Neuroblastoma typically begins in the womb with a group of normal embryonic cells known as ‘trunk neural cres.t (NC)’ become mutated and cancerous.
An interdisciplinary team led by stem cell expert Dr. Ingrid Saldana from the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences and computational biologist Dr. Luis Montano from the St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute in Vienna, discovered a method to cultivate human stem cells to produce trunk NC cells in a petri dish.
These cells carried genetic changes commonly found in aggressive neuroblastoma tumors. Through genomics analysis and advanced imaging techniques, the researchers observed that the modified cells began exhibiting behaviors characteristic of cancer cells.
The study revealed that the cells closely resembled the cells found in children with neuroblastoma, offering new hope for the development of personalized treatments that target the cancer while reducing the side effects of current therapies. Dr. Anestis Tsakiridis, the lead author of the study from the University of Sheffield, stated that their stem cell-based model accurately simulates the initial stages of aggressive neuroblastoma formation, providing important insights into the genetic factors behind this devastating childhood cancer. By replicating the conditions that lead to tumor initiation, they hope to gain a better understanding of the disease.
In order to gain a better understanding of the processes involved in this phenomenon, it is crucial to be able to develop more effective treatment strategies in the future.
It is crucial because the chances of survival for children with aggressive neuroblastoma are low and many survivors experience negative side effects from the current intense treatments, such as potential hearing loss, fertility issues, and lung problems.
Dr. Florian Halbritter, from St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute and the second lead author of the study, stated: “This was an impressive collaborative effort, crossing geographical and disciplinary boundaries to facilitate new discoveries in childhood cancer research.”This investigation endorses the cancer research strategy of the University of Sheffield, which aims to reduce cancer-related deaths through high-quality research. The strategy seeks to develop more effective treatments, as well as improve methods for preventing and detecting cancer and enhancing the quality of life. The study was published in a journal titled “Journal Reference” and authored by Ingrid M. Saldana-Guerrero, Luis F. Montano-Gutierrez, Katy Boswell, Christoph Hafemeister, Evon Poon, Lisa E. Shaw, Dylan Stavish, Rebecca A. Lea, Sara Wernig-Zorc, Eva Bozsaky, Irfete S. Fetahu, Peter Zoescher, Ulrike Pötschger, and M.A new study by a team of researchers led by Florian Halbritter has found that certain chromosomal aberrations associated with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that affects the nervous system, can have a significant impact on the development of human neural crest cells. The study, published in Nature Communications, provides new insights into the developmental consequences of these chromosomal aberrations and could potentially lead to new therapeutic approaches for neuroblastoma. The research team used a human neural crest model to study the effects of these chromosomal aberrations, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of neuroblastoma development.
