Research projects

The team work hard in the lab, but they also like to enjoy themselves. Rubén likes tennis, biking and hiking, and especially enjoys gathering around with friends and enjoying food. Spanish food is the usual, but he also loves Italian or Asian and Rubén says this is the perfect way to make his day!

Glioblastoma tumour cells can develop networks of tiny tunnels connecting them to healthy cells. They use these tunnels to bring in “batteries” called mitochondria- an important part of the cell that respires, generates energy from metabolism and programmes a range of crucial events within the cell, including self-destruction. With your help Dr Rubén Quintana-Cabrera and his team will investigate stopping this mitochondria transfer from the brain to the tumour along these tunnels, or through exchange within vesicles that carry substances in and out of cells.

The team plan to use several cutting-edge molecular techniques during this project. They will apply tiny molecular ‘tethers’ to understand what happens if mitochondria are physically prevented from entering glioblastoma cells. They will also study if changing the shape, or the molecular feet/wheels of the mitochondria could prevent their transfer between cells.

This exciting new work will help us to understand if targeting the dynamics of mitochondrial transport and transfer could be a new way to reduce treatment resistance and stop this devastating disease.