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Updated: Mar 30, 2026

MitoCeption: Transferring Isolated Human MSC Mitochondria to Glioblastoma Stem Cells
Published on: February 22, 2017
The 18-kDa mitochondrial translocator protein in gliomas: from the bench to bedside
Karolina Janczar1, Zhangjie Su2, Isabella Raccagni3
1Division of Brain Science, Wolfson Neuroscience Laboratories, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, U.K.
Abstract:
The 18-kDa mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) is known to be highly expressed in several types of cancer, including gliomas, whereas expression in normal brain is low. TSPO functions in glioma are still incompletely understood. The TSPO can be quantified pre-operatively with molecular imaging making it an ideal candidate for personalized treatment of patient with glioma. Studies have proposed to exploit the TSPO as a transporter of chemotherapics to selectively target tumour cells in the brain. Our studies proved that positron emission tomography (PET)-imaging can contribute to predict progression of patients with glioma and that molecular imaging with TSPO-specific ligands is suitable to stratify patients in view of TSPO-targeted treatment. Finally, we proved that TSPO in gliomas is predominantly expressed by tumour cells.
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