A strong representation of the NorLux Neuro-Oncology Laboratory from LIH’s Department of Oncology was present at the 14th annual meeting of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) held in Lyon, France, from 19th to 22nd September 2019. Dr Anna Golebiewska, co-group leader of NorLux, was selected to give a presentation on recent findings about the plasticity of brain cancer stem cells and was subsequently awarded for the best abstract in preclinical sciences during a plenary session on hot topics and late breaking abstracts.

Plasticity of cancer stem cells

Dr Golebiewska presented findings to the audience that were released this year in a research article in Nature Communications. Her presentation was entitled “Intrinsic tumour plasticity in Glioblastoma allows for recreation of stem like-states and efficient tumour cell adaptation to new microenvironments”. It has been generally assumed that the growth of solid tumours such as Glioblastoma originates from cancer stem cells, which develop in a fixed, hierarchical order. Accordingly, such cancer stem cells were thought to be responsible for tumour progression and produce specific types of more differentiated cancer cells whose fates are predetermined.

 Dr Golebiewska explained during her talk:

‘The work of our team and collaboration partners shows that Glioblastoma cells manifest remarkable developmental plasticity and that their phenotypic characteristics are much less constrained than believed.’

A key meeting for neuro-oncologists

EANO is Europe’s multidisciplinary neuro-oncology organisation embodying all medical and scientific disciplines involved in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tumours of the central nervous system. The annual meeting of the EANO is a not-to-be-missed event for healthcare professionals and researchers from the field. This year’s programme focused on brain tumours biomarkers, treatment and clinical trials. Outstanding science was exposed in oral presentations selected from submitted abstracts or shown during poster sessions.

Prof Simone Niclou, Director of LIH’ Department of Oncology and member of the EANO Executive Board, gave a welcome speech, chaired different sessions and held an invited lecture on “Modelling Glioblastoma”, the most common and aggressive type of brain tumour. She was also responsible for the organisation of the “Educational Day” of the basic science track, held a day prior to the EANO meeting.

Further, postdoctoral researcher Dr Ann-Christin Hau, was selected to give a short presentation during one of the oral sessions on how to target epigenetic pathways in the treatment of recurrent high-grade glioma. Dr Virginie Neirinckx, another postdoctoral researcher from the group, presented posters on a genome-wide shRNA screen identifying genes that drive glioblastoma invasion as well as on the protein sLRIG1 - serving as a powerful inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinases having therapeutic potential for stopping Glioblastoma growth.