BC Cancer - Winter 2017 - 11

r. Cathie
* GBM cancer stem cells
Garnis, a
are often resistant to
senior scidrugs.
entist at BC
Cancer, describes glio"Our project was conDr. Cathie Garnis
blastoma multiforme
ceived because of the
as "tenacious." The
need to administer drugs
most common and aggressive type of
directly to the tumour (bypassing the
brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme
blood-brain barrier) and also to help
(GBM) tumours can be made up of
drugs reach tumour cells that can't be
different types of cells that grow and
treated with surgery," Dr. Garnis says.
spread quickly, making them espeSurgically applied to the brain, the
cially difficult to treat. Many patients
mesh implant is designed to attract
succumb to their disease within 15
cancer cells and eradicate them with
months.
chemotherapy.
Dr. Garnis aims to stop the spread
"The mesh implant we're developof GBM in its tracks. In collaboration
ing will attract these cancer cells and
with biomedical engineer Dr. Mohsen
dissolve to release drugs to destroy
Akbari and neurosurgeon Dr. Brian
the cancer," Dr. Garnis explains. "It
Toyota, she's developing a mesh
will also allow us to offer drugs we
implant that may transform the way
would not previously have been able to
treatment is delivered to cancer cells
deliver to the brain."
in the brain, with a greater chance
Uncovering new and innovative
for success.
solutions for brain cancer motivates
Dr. Garnis in her work each day: "I am
FOUR MAIN CHALLENGES
hooked on the problem-solving that
IN TREATING BRAIN CANCER
cancer research demands, and this
While the current standard of care for
started with the very first lab work I
glioblastoma includes surgery, radiadid as an undergraduate student here
tion and chemotherapy, oncologists
at the BC Cancer Research Centre."
face four main challenges in treating
To prove the effectiveness of the
the disease:
mesh-based treatment strategy (bring* GBM tumours cannot be completely
ing it one step closer to patients in the
surgically removed.
clinic), Dr. Garnis' team will pursue
* Chemotherapy doesn't eradicate
three key research objectives over the
tumour cells deep in the brain tissue.
next three years:
* The blood-brain barrier prevents
1. They will test the effectiveness
effective use of chemotherapy.
of two compounds. Bradykinin is a

NEW HOPE FOR BRAIN CANCER
Help BC Cancer researchers bring new treatment technologies to people affected by brain cancer. To learn more
about the promising progress in brain cancer research
happening today, contact Sarah Roth at 604.877.6000 or
sarah.roth@bccancer.bc.ca.

How Mesh
Implants
Work
1. A hydrogel-based mesh is
surgically implanted in the brain.
2. The mesh releases a special
chemical designed to attract brain
tumour cells.
3. Brain tumour cells respond to
the chemical and begin moving
toward the mesh.
4. Upon contact, proteins
embedded within the brain
tumour cells degrade the
mesh, starting a chain reaction.
Chemotherapy is released and the
tumour cells are killed.

peptide that is present throughout the
body and a known chemo-attractant
for glioblastomas. BV6 is a small molecule known to sensitize glioblastoma
cells to temozolomide (TMZ), the firstline chemotherapy drug for GBM.
2. Once the effectiveness of the drugs
has been established, Dr. Garnis and
her colleagues will test the ability of the
mesh to attract brain tumour cells using
a time-lapse camera to monitor the
invasion of the cells toward the mesh.
3. After the team has identified the
optimal chemical that will allow for
migration of brain tumour cells to the
mesh, the researchers will determine if
the tumour cells are killed by chemotherapy upon contact with the mesh.
"It's exciting to be in an era where
we can select drugs that directly target
the specific genetic changes in a particular patient's tumour," Dr. Garnis says.
"My hope is that in the years to come
we will be in a much better position
to let molecular rationales influence
our treatment choices in brain cancer.
The mesh represents a very attractive
option to address this issue."

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BC Cancer - Winter 2017