GBM Brain Tumor Shrinking Molecule Found

“New Computational Strategy Finds Brain Tumor-shrinking Molecules” says the headline of an article posted, well, in a lot of place but I first found it here: http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/news/2015/11/new-computational-strategy-finds-brain-tumor-shrinking-molecules

 

The article starts out stating a sad fact, “Patients with glioblastoma, a type of malignant brain tumor, usually survive fewer than 15 months following diagnosis.”

But the article goes on to report that “…University of California, San Diego researchers developed a new computational strategy to search for molecules that could be developed into glioblastoma drugs. In mouse models of human glioblastoma, one molecule they found shrank the average tumor size by half.”

Now I’d like to make two points here. First, note the phrase “In mouse models of human glioblastoma…” So don’t expect it to be used commonly among us with human brains all that fast.

Secondly, please also note the quote “…one molecule they found shrank the average tumor size by half.”* I’d check my math on a calculator but I’m pretty sure that means by 50%, which is awesome, incredible, news-worthy and a reason for hope.

The article in bioscienetechnology.com includes important quotes that I don’t understand about their methodology from first listed author Igor Tsigelny, Ph.D., research scientist at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, as well as the San Diego Supercomputer Center and Department of Neurosciences at UC San Diego. 

To read the quotes and the rest of the article go to http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/news/2015/11/new-computational-strategy-finds-brain-tumor-shrinking-molecules