A novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities

Abstract Glioblastoma remains incurable and recurs in all patients. Here we design and characterize a novel induced-recurrence model in which mice xenografted with primary patient-derived glioma initiating/stem cells (GIC) are treated with a therapeutic regimen closely recapitulating patient standar...

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Main Authors: Sara Lucchini, James G Nicholson, Xinyu Zhang, Jacob Househam, Yau Mun Lim, Maximilian Mossner, Thomas O Millner, Sebastian Brandner, Trevor Graham, Silvia Marino
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2025-04-01
Series:EMBO Molecular Medicine
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-025-00237-z
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author Sara Lucchini
James G Nicholson
Xinyu Zhang
Jacob Househam
Yau Mun Lim
Maximilian Mossner
Thomas O Millner
Sebastian Brandner
Trevor Graham
Silvia Marino
author_facet Sara Lucchini
James G Nicholson
Xinyu Zhang
Jacob Househam
Yau Mun Lim
Maximilian Mossner
Thomas O Millner
Sebastian Brandner
Trevor Graham
Silvia Marino
author_sort Sara Lucchini
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Glioblastoma remains incurable and recurs in all patients. Here we design and characterize a novel induced-recurrence model in which mice xenografted with primary patient-derived glioma initiating/stem cells (GIC) are treated with a therapeutic regimen closely recapitulating patient standard of care, followed by monitoring until tumours recur (induced recurrence patient-derived xenografts, IR-PDX). By tracking in vivo tumour growth, we confirm the patient specificity and initial efficacy of treatment prior to recurrence. Availability of longitudinally matched pairs of primary and recurrent GIC enabled patient-specific evaluation of the fidelity with which the model recapitulated phenotypes associated with the true recurrence. Through comprehensive multi-omic analyses, we show that the IR-PDX model recapitulates aspects of genomic, epigenetic, and transcriptional state heterogeneity upon recurrence in a patient-specific manner. The accuracy of the IR-PDX enabled both novel biological insights, including the positive association between glioblastoma recurrence and levels of ciliated neural stem cell-like tumour cells, and the identification of druggable patient-specific therapeutic vulnerabilities. This proof-of-concept study opens the possibility for prospective precision medicine approaches to identify target-drug candidates for treatment at glioblastoma recurrence.
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spelling doaj-art-b3757cd1b9b2425fa9504e202117a67b2025-08-20T02:06:35ZengSpringer NatureEMBO Molecular Medicine1757-46842025-04-011761325135410.1038/s44321-025-00237-zA novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilitiesSara Lucchini0James G Nicholson1Xinyu Zhang2Jacob Househam3Yau Mun Lim4Maximilian Mossner5Thomas O Millner6Sebastian Brandner7Trevor Graham8Silvia Marino9Brain Tumour Research Centre, Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University LondonBrain Tumour Research Centre, Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University LondonBrain Tumour Research Centre, Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University LondonCentre for Evolution and Cancer, The Institute of Cancer ResearchDivision of Neuropathology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square, Institute of Neurology, University College LondonCentre for Evolution and Cancer, The Institute of Cancer ResearchBrain Tumour Research Centre, Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University LondonDivision of Neuropathology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square, Institute of Neurology, University College LondonCentre for Evolution and Cancer, The Institute of Cancer ResearchBrain Tumour Research Centre, Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University LondonAbstract Glioblastoma remains incurable and recurs in all patients. Here we design and characterize a novel induced-recurrence model in which mice xenografted with primary patient-derived glioma initiating/stem cells (GIC) are treated with a therapeutic regimen closely recapitulating patient standard of care, followed by monitoring until tumours recur (induced recurrence patient-derived xenografts, IR-PDX). By tracking in vivo tumour growth, we confirm the patient specificity and initial efficacy of treatment prior to recurrence. Availability of longitudinally matched pairs of primary and recurrent GIC enabled patient-specific evaluation of the fidelity with which the model recapitulated phenotypes associated with the true recurrence. Through comprehensive multi-omic analyses, we show that the IR-PDX model recapitulates aspects of genomic, epigenetic, and transcriptional state heterogeneity upon recurrence in a patient-specific manner. The accuracy of the IR-PDX enabled both novel biological insights, including the positive association between glioblastoma recurrence and levels of ciliated neural stem cell-like tumour cells, and the identification of druggable patient-specific therapeutic vulnerabilities. This proof-of-concept study opens the possibility for prospective precision medicine approaches to identify target-drug candidates for treatment at glioblastoma recurrence.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-025-00237-zGlioblastomaRecurrenceMouse ModelPrecision-medicineCilia
spellingShingle Sara Lucchini
James G Nicholson
Xinyu Zhang
Jacob Househam
Yau Mun Lim
Maximilian Mossner
Thomas O Millner
Sebastian Brandner
Trevor Graham
Silvia Marino
A novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities
EMBO Molecular Medicine
Glioblastoma
Recurrence
Mouse Model
Precision-medicine
Cilia
title A novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities
title_full A novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities
title_fullStr A novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities
title_full_unstemmed A novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities
title_short A novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities
title_sort novel model of glioblastoma recurrence to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities
topic Glioblastoma
Recurrence
Mouse Model
Precision-medicine
Cilia
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-025-00237-z
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