Gliomas are a prevalent type of brain tumour. Brain tumours often have a significant impact on daily life, as they can affect movement and even your emotions and thoughts. Typically occurring in adults, gliomas are usually treated with neurosurgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation. With his grant, Lucas Baudouin delves into specific factors in the brain that lead to cognitive problems in glioma patients.
Innovative approach
‘After glioma treatment, many patients face persistent cognitive challenges that influence their daily and social lives. Existing cognitive therapies prove ineffective for some patients,’ explains Lucas. His research focuses on the recently discovered correlation between disruptions in white matter tracts and cognitive impairments in glioma patients.
Lucas employs an innovative approach that combines cognitive assessment with histological/cellular analysis on a microscopic scale. This approach lays the groundwork for future personalised therapies aimed at enhancing the quality of life for patients.
Lucas: ‘No prior research has explored the cellular mechanisms behind these disruptions. With this project, I aim to fill that gap. The primary goal is to understand how the tumour environment affects the integrity of myelin sheaths (the protective covering of nerve cells) in the white matter and, consequently, the cells responsible for its production (precursors of oligodendrocytes).’
New call in 2024
The next call for the AUF Starting Grant will be launched in 2024, probably in spring. Interested young scientists can find additional information on this website (will be updated this spring). Contact address: rs-startstipendium@amsterdamumc.nl.