Poster #013
Arginine Depletion and Radiation Therapy on hiPSC-G34R Mutant Tumoroids
Mentors: Emily Hatanaka; Joshua J. Breunig, PhD
Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG) are aggressive brain tumors responsible for the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. Survival rates remain low despite slight improvements, emphasizing the need for further therapeutic strategies. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of arginine deaminase (ADI) and radiation therapy (RT) on hiPSC-derived cortical G34R mutant tumoroids, serving as an in vitro model for pHGG. Here, nucleofection was used to introduce pB plasmid-expressing H3.3 G34R mutation in the organoids. The G34R mutant tumoroids were subjected to RT and ADI treatment. Through time-course experiments, mass density and diameter of the tumoroids were measured, revealing changes in growth between experimental groups. Immunocytochemistry was performed to assess cellular markers of DNA damage, early to late apoptotic events, and cell proliferation. Here, the treatment groups exhibited distinct staining patterns, highlighting the therapeutic potentials of arginine starvation alongside radiation therapy for the inhibition of G34R pediatric glioma proliferation.