# The role and mechanism of necrosis in glioblastoma

> **NIH NIH R01** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · 2021 · $393,454

## Abstract

Project Summary
Gliomas are major primary brain tumors, of which glioblastomas (GBM) are the most common and aggressive
forms. The poor outcome of traditional treatment for these tumors demands targeted therapies based on
identified mechanisms that drive tumor development. Molecular pathology has classified GBM into subtypes,
among which the mesenchymal (MES) group is the most malignant. It is still unclear how GBM MES
differentiation is achieved. Recent anatomically based transcriptome studies found that tumor cells associated
with the necrotic region have higher expression of the MES signature genes, suggesting that the necrotic tumor
microenvironment may contribute to MES differentiation and could be exploited as a therapeutic target. The goal
of this project is to mechanistically and functionally study GBM necrosis, and identify vulnerabilities of GBM MES
progression for therapeutics. We have established the follow premise for the proposed studies. First, we have
developed novel pathologically relevant GBM mouse models showing MES differentiation and extensive necrosis.
Second, we identified ferroptosis as a novel mechanism for GBM necrosis. Third, in both patient GBM samples
and mouse models, we found that the necrotic tumor areas are infiltrated by neutrophils. Our studies suggested
that these tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) are necessary and sufficient to induce tumor cell ferroptosis.
Furthermore, we found that ferroptosis and TANs are associated with the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. We
hypothesize that GBM necrosis occurs through neutrophil-triggered ferroptosis, and this process is orchestrated
by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. We further hypothesize that ferroptosis could promote tumor
progression and be targeted for therapeutic purposes. We propose the following three specific aims: 1) to
determine the mechanism of tumor cell ferroptosis induced by TANs; 2) to determine the role of hypoxic tumor
microenvironment in tumor cell ferroptosis; 3) to demonstrate the role of ferroptosis in GBM progression and
evaluate therapeutic effects of ferroptosis blockade. We will employ a panel of established human GBM cell lines,
newly isolated human GBM cells, and mouse GBM models. GBM necrosis is a diagnostic hallmark, predicts
tumor aggressiveness, and has deleterious effects on treatments. The nature and mechanism of cell death
associated with this necrosis remain obscure. In addition, whether tumor necrosis blockade could benefit
therapies is still unknown. By establishing the GBM models faithfully recapitulating the extent of necrosis
observed in GBM patients and identification of ferroptosis as the underlying mechanism of tumor necrosis, this
proposal will reveal vulnerabilities of GBM MES progression, which could be a novel avenue for GBM
therapeutics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10097263
- **Project number:** 1R01NS119547-01
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Wei Li
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $393,454
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-02-01 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10097263

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10097263, The role and mechanism of necrosis in glioblastoma (1R01NS119547-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10097263. Licensed CC0.

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