Robert Vanner – University of Toronto, ON

Project: “Modelling Clonal Hematopoiesis as a Driver of Glioblastoma Growth to Identify Novel Therapeutic Targets”

Generously funded in Honour of Mackenzie Rigg supported by Vikes Kick Cancer

Description of Project:

Glioblastoma is the most common and deadly adult brain tumour. It’s unclear why some tumours grow faster or resist treatments more than others. We discovered that changes in the aging immune system called clonal hematopoiesis are associated with worse survival in patients with glioblastoma. We found that patients with glioblastoma and clonal hematopoiesis had tumours with higher levels of growth signals and more blood vessel growth. We believe that unique signals from clonal hematopoiesis make tumours more aggressive or resistant to treatment. We need a controlled system to study the association between clonal hematopoiesis and glioblastoma outcomes, understand the underlying biology, and develop new targeted therapies. This award will let us use cutting-edge gene-editing and brain tumour modelling techniques to grow human glioblastoma in mice with a human immune system, with or without clonal hematopoiesis. With this model, we can determine how clonal hematopoiesis changes key tumour properties like growth and therapy resistance, alters the tumour environment, and influences interactions between immune cells and tumour cells. This could lead to novel treatments that help patients with glioblastoma live longer.

What receiving this award means:

“I am thrilled and grateful to receive The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada Mackenzie Rigg Brain Tumour Research Grant. These funds will launch an ambitious project in a completely new area of glioblastoma research, studying how age-related changes in the blood system fuel tumour growth. I want to specifically thank the Rigg Family and Vikes Kick Cancer, whose generous support and fundraising efforts made this award possible. Learning about Mackenzie has inspired me with his character and the tenacity and resolve he showed after being diagnosed with glioblastoma at such a young age. We will strive to honour his legacy with this research.

Midpoint Update | June 2025

In our first year, we developed a mouse model to study glioblastoma alongside a common blood condition known as clonal hematopoiesis. Now, we’re examining how this blood condition influences growth, blood vessel formation, and treatment response in the brain tumour. This research may help uncover new approaches to treating glioblastoma more effectively in the future.

Final Report | October 2026

As we age, mutations can occur in our blood stem cells, leading to a condition called clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Our research shows that CH makes it harder for patients with solid cancers—especially glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumour—to survive.

By creating a new model to study how these altered immune cells interact with brain cancer cells, we discovered that CH directly drives tumour growth. The mutated immune cells release harmful signals related to inflammation and cell growth that feed the tumour. We hope to target these specific signals to develop new treatments and improve survival for glioblastoma patients