Stem cells found in the lining of the mouth could help make the most aggressive form of brain cancer easier to treat, according to new research from the University of Reading.

The stem cells release a mixture of proteins and tiny particles into their surroundings, and when tested on human brain cancer cells transplanted into mouse brain tissue, they slowed the cancer's growth, made it harder for cancer cells to move around, and reduced the number and size of tumours that formed.

When administered alongside the primary chemotherapy treatment for this cancer, they led to greater tumour reduction without harming the surrounding healthy brain tissue.

The study, published in the journal Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, also found that these stem cell proteins work by tackling a key weakness in how the cancer defends itself.

Professor Darius Widera, lead author from the University of Reading, said: "Brain cancer cells send out signals that tell the body to protect the tumour. The stem cell proteins blocked these signals while turning up a separate set of signals that work against the cancer, essentially flipping the cancer's own defences against it.”

Dr Graeme Cottrell, co-author of the study from the University of Reading, said: “What makes this finding particularly exciting is that the same proteins also enhanced the effectiveness of the standard chemotherapy drug. This dual approach of weakening the cancer’s defences while simultaneously boosting the impact of existing treatment is exactly the kind of strategy needed for a disease that has been so challenging to treat.”

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain cancer in adults.

Around 3,200 people are diagnosed with it every year in the UK, and of those, just 160 will survive for five years or more.

Even after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, most patients survive little more than a year.

Part of the reason it is so hard to treat is that it hijacks the body's own systems to help it grow and resist treatment.

Developing new ways to disrupt this process is one of the biggest challenges in cancer research.

The stem cell proteins used in this study can be produced and stored without relying on living cells, meaning they could be manufactured consistently and safely at scale in the future.

The researchers say the next step is to test the findings in more advanced models, before exploring whether the approach could one day improve outcomes for patients.

Animals in this research 

To understand how the stem cell proteins behave in something closer to a real brain, part of this study used brain tissue from mice.

Studying the effects in actual brain tissue is important because it gives scientists a much more realistic picture of what might happen in a patient, while avoiding the need for more extensive animal procedures.

18 mice were used in total, with tissue from each animal shared across this and other ongoing studies to make the fullest possible use of every animal involved.

All procedures were carried out in accordance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

The researchers note that this approach aligns with the principles of the 3Rs (replacing, reducing and refining the use of animals in research) by avoiding longer-term procedures and making full use of tissue that would otherwise go unused.

Source: University of Reading