Anita Hjelmeland, PhD, addressed her research on glioblastoma for this week’s HudsonAlpha seminar session. Hjelmeland, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, detailed her research on the type of brain tumor Senator John McCain publicly battled.
Hjelmeland’s work focuses on the tumor microenvironment, attempting to find conditions that make the tumor more responsive to treatment. Glioblastoma patients typically have a poor prognosis, with a median survival of less than 15 months. In part, it’s difficult to treat because it invades regions of the brain that cannot be removed.
By studying the microenvironment of the tumors, researchers hope to find ways to make current methods of chemotherapy more effective. Understanding therapeutic resistance and the interactions of epigenetic factors with varying conditions in the microenvironment could create a critical bank of knowledge that allows for more personalized and successful treatment.
This seminar was hosted by Sara Cooper, PhD.
More information on HudsonAlpha Research Seminars, including the upcoming schedule, can be found at hudsonalpha.org/seminars.