How the brain helps cancers grow | Michelle Monje

Today, we're talking with Stanford neuro-oncologist, Michelle Monje. This is actually the third time we've had Michelle on the show, in part because she's been a pioneer of three exciting frontiers in neuroscience — so far! This week, we're going to talk about cancer neuroscience. Michelle founded this new field with her discovery that deadly brain tumors not only link up physically with the healthy brain tissue surrounding them, but the cancers actually need the brain's electrical activity to grow and spread.It turns out that many cancers — not only in the brain — depend on nervous system innervation for their survival. Understanding this dependent relationship better may present an exciting new line of attack for oncology. Join us to learn more!News coverageBrain tumors caused by normal neuron activity in mice predisposed to such tumorsBrain tumors form synapses with healthy neurons, Stanford-led study findsDeadly brain cancers act like 'vampires' by hijacking normal cells to growEngineered immune cells target broad range of pediatric solid tumors in miceRelevant PublicationsGlioma synapses recruit mechanisms of adaptive plasticityGlioblastoma remodelling of human neural circuits decreases survivalElectrical and synaptic integration of glioma into neural circuitsTargeting neuronal activity-regulated neuroligin-3 dependency in high-grade gliomaNeuronal Activity Promotes Glioma Growth through Neuroligin-3 SecretionReview ArticlesThe neuroscience of cancerCancer hallmarks intersect with neuroscience in the tumor microenvironmentRoadmap for the Emerging Field of Cancer NeuroscienceEpisode CreditsThis episode was produced by Michael Osborne, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker, and hosted by Nicholas Weiler. Art by Aimee Garza.Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience. Learn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.