Identification of aptamers binding to human glioblastoma cells

• Grant number: 15/14342-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2015
• End date: September 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry
• Principal Investigator: Alexander Henning Ulrich
• Grantee: Lucas Nishida
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/50880-4 - Stem cells: from basic studies of kinin and purinergic receptor roles towards therapeutical applications, AP.TEM

Abstract

Glioblastoma multiform (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumour in adults. Despite the efforts for a multimodal treatment against the GBM, this tumour still presents one of the worst survival rates and ranks among the most lethal of human cancers. Typically, GBM reoccurs after treatment featuring the presence of glioblastoma cells that overcome the current treatment and are able to reinitiate tumour formation. Based on evidences that a subpopulation of GBM cells is least vulnerable to treatment and thus represents the most promising target cells, the main aim of this project is to answer whether it is possible to identify a molecular signature for the GBM chemoresistant cells through the selection of a specific aptamer. For this, first a GBM cell line will be treated with clinical dose of the current standard chemotherapy aiming to select chemoresistant GBM cells. Next, the aptamers will be selected through Cell-Selex technique employing positive selection against the chemoresistant GBM cells and negative selection against total non-treated GBM cells. In the following, the selected aptamers will be validated by assessing if the cell-aptamer complexes purified using FACS contain the chemoresistant cells. By the demonstration that a specific aptamer might identify the chemoresistant GBM cells, this project attempts to provide a molecular signature for these cellular population and thus contribute to GBM cells targeting and also to further studies regarding GBM drug delivery.