Best of March 2014: Vulnerability of Glioblastoma Cells to Catastrophic Vacuolization and Death Induced by a Small Molecule

The next in our "Best of the Month" series is from March 21, 2014:

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have introduced what could possibly be a revolution in glioblasoma treatment. In a recent article in Cell, researchers found that molecules known as vacquinols "reliably and selectively compromised" neoplastic cell viability. Vacquinols stimulate cell death by membrane ruffling, vacuolization, and -- ultimately -- cytoplasmic membrane rupture. Although in vivo testing has been restricted to mice thus far, this paper may prove to be the beginning of a new avenue of research into the selective killing of glioblastoma cells in patients.