PhD conferral mr. drs. Koos E. Hovinga

Key words: brain tumour, angiogenesis inhibitor, tumour stem cells, Notch inhibitor

"Angiogenesis Inhibition in Glioblastoma"

Despite intensive treatment, the malignant Glioblastoma brain tumour cannot be cured and patients usually die after 18 months. For years, as a new, promising treatment attempts have been made to combat the new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis), which a tumour needs to grow, with an inhibitor of the important VEGF protein (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor). However, in practice the results were disappointing. In a collaboration with the world-famous Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the researcher discovered that there is another way in which these tumours make blood vessels. It turns out that this tumour contains tumour stem cells that can form blood vessels in a manner not previously described. By treating these with a new inhibitor, the so-called Notch inhibitor, a new anti-angiogenesis treatment for glioblastomas has been found.