Dr Verdon Taylor

Department of Biomedical Science
University of Sheffield
Sheffield

Understanding cells at the root of brain tumours

Dr Verdon Taylor is based at the University of Sheffield. He is studying special cells called stem cells, which researchers think may be the root cause of some cancers. Dr Taylor is focusing on a type of brain tumour called glioma, and his work could lead to innovative new ways to tackle this disease.

Stem cells are a kind of ‘starter cell’ that can develop into many different types of cell in the body. Healthy stem cells should only produce new cells when they are needed, but so-called ‘cancer stem cells’ go into overdrive, producing millions of tumour cells.

Sending the wrong messages

Dr Taylor is investigating what goes wrong when a cancer stem cell multiplies out of control, and how this can lead to glioma. His team are looking at the complex messages sent inside stem cells that tell them when to produce new cells, and how these messages become faulty in cancer stem cells. Faults in these signals may also allow cancer stem cells to become resistant to chemotherapy, making the tumour much harder to treat.

Understanding these faulty signals in more detail should suggest ways to block them, leading towards new ways to treat glioma and other tumours caused by overactive stem cells.