The project, entitled "Canine Glioma Cancer Stem Cells as a New Translational Cancer Model" will be led by R. Timothy Bentley, assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Science at Purdue. Other researchers include Kari Clase of the Department of Industrial Technology and Jiri Adamec of the Bindley Bioscience Center.

Gliomas are common malignant brain tumors in both humans and dogs. The highest grade is Glioblastoma (GBM), and despite aggressive therapy, this tumor is essentially terminal in every case. The specific objective of the team's research will be to isolate cancer stem-like cells from samples in order to further characterize them and analyze the proteins within these cells. This will provide a better understanding of glioma (both canine and human), an improved framework for the use of naturally occurring brain tumors to establish new therapies, and cell cultures which will be retained to test potential treatments.