Latest News

• Hoops for Hannah: a March Madness Bracket Contest!        

  Hoops for Hannah is a March Madness bracket contest that raises funds for brain tumor research in memory of Hannah Taylor.  Participants have donated over $90,000 to brain tumor research through Hoops For Hannah since Hannah's passing in 2012. This cause is worth fighting for!

  There is no entry fee, as Hannah's family generously provides a $1,000 First Prize; donations to Brain Tumor Research are not required but gratefully accepted. 100% of all donations go to the Musella Foundation! For details to enter, click here.

  
  
• Hope for the Future!        

  The Musella Foundation is working on an updated edition of our Brain Tumor Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. The final chapter, titled "Hope for the Future," will live on our website so that it can be updated regularly. To read it, click here!   

  
  
• Berzosertib enhances the sensitivity of pediatric diffuse midline glioma H3K27-altered cells to radiotherapy        

  A new study shows adding berzosertib (an ATR inhibitor) to radiation appears to make H3K27-altered diffuse midline glioma more sensitive to treatment by blocking tumor DNA repair, leading to greater tumor cell death in preclinical models. This suggests a promising strategy to enhance radiotherapy effectiveness, but it remains experimental and requires clinical trials to confirm safety and benefit for patients.

  
  
• Brain tumors hijack sugar metabolism to evade immune attack        

  In this Northwestern study, researchers found that glioblastoma (GBM) tumors 'hijack' microglia metabolism by exploiting a fructose transporter called GLUT5, causing the microglia (the brain's resident immune cells) to take up and metabolize fructose in a way that suppresses anti-tumor immunity. To test its role, they used genetically engineered mice lacking GLUT5.

  In multiple mouse GBM models, GLUT5-deficient mice showed significantly reduced tumor growth and improved survival, indicating this pathway is required for tumor progression. The microglia became more inflammatory and less immunosuppressive, and there was greater activation of a broader immune response, including increased antigen presentation, higher inflammatory signaling, and shifts toward more active T cell responses (including CD8+ T cells).

  The study also showed that within the tumor microenvironment, when microglia are exposed to fructose, they become less effective at immune functions like phagocytosis and inflammatory signaling, helping tumors evade immune attack. Removing GLUT5 reversed these effects.

  This approach is not yet translatable to humans, because the study used genetic deletion rather than a drug. However, the target itself (GLUT5) is present in human glioblastoma microglia, and the results suggest that developing drugs to block this target could be a viable strategy, especially in combination with immunotherapy.