Grantee: Northwestern University, IL, Chicago, USA Project Summary: Tumor biologists and clinical oncologists are searching for new ways of developing and
testing treatment approaches that consider cancer in the context of its environment.
Borrowing concepts from ecosystems science and mathematical biology, researchers are
investigating the dynamic and adaptive changes that make tumors less susceptible or
resistant to mainline therapies and more invasive and aggressive upon recurrence. The
collaborative activity proposal submitted by Swanson and collaborators will study
extreme long-term survivors of Glioblastoma Multiforma (GBM) to characterize
treatment responses and the causes of disease progression. An expanded use of imagederived
cancer dynamics could reveal environmental contributions to long-term survival.
Extreme long-term survivors are typically patients surviving five years or more beyond
initial diagnosis and treatment. The team will also collect data on the GBM microenvironment, interactions between the
tumor and the rest of the body and the role of other environmental influences. As stated
in the proposal “…current approaches are akin to trying to understand the germination
of a seed by looking at its genetic profile but ignoring the impact of the surrounding
environment.”
Project Lead: Kristin Swanson, Ph.D.
Grant Title: The “ENDURES” Study: Environmental Dynamics Underlying Responsive Extreme Survivors of Glioblastoma
Program Area: Mathematical & Complex Systems Approaches for Brain Cancer
Grant Type: Collaborative Activity Award
Year Awarded: 2014
Duration: 3 years