WVU Cancer Institute neurosurgeon leads breakthrough study targeting energy metabolism in glioblastoma

In a major step forward for brain cancer research, a team of scientists at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute has identified a promising new approach to treating glioblastoma (GBM), one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant brain tumors. In the US, there are approximately 15,000 new diagnoses per year of GBM and a 5-year survival rate of approximately 6%.  West Virginia sees higher than average rates of GBM.

The study, published October 14, 2025, in PLOS ONE, was led by Christopher P. Cifarelli M.D., Ph.D., MMM, FAANS, FACS, director of the WVU Brain Tumor Program, member of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Instititue and senior investigator on the project.

The research explores a novel therapeutic strategy that uses mitochondrial transplantation—the transfer of healthy energy-producing mitochondria from non-cancerous human muscle cells into GBM tumor cells—to disrupt the tumor’s metabolic flexibility and increase sensitivity to radiation therapy.

“Glioblastoma thrives on its ability to adapt to metabolic stress. What we have shown is that by introducing new, healthy mitochondria into these tumor cells, we can exploit that adaptability and essentially push them into an energy crisis, especially when combined with radiation,” said Dr. Cifarelli.

The team found that this approach selectively sensitized certain GBM subtypes to radiation by overwhelming their metabolic systems, while also identifying tumor-specific patterns of bioenergetic response. These findings could pave the way for personalized, metabolism-based treatments in GBM—a cancer where conventional therapies have failed to significantly improve survival for decades.

The work is part of the Institute’s broader mission to develop innovative, patient-centered therapies for some of the most challenging cancers affecting West Virginians and beyond.

“We’re not just studying cancer,” Cifarelli added. “We’re designing treatment strategies that could be deployed during surgery or shortly after, using a patient’s own tissues. That kind of precision medicine is the future—and we’re building it here at WVU.”

The full study, titled "Differential Bioenergetic Profile of Human Glioblastoma Following Transplantation of Myocyte-Derived Mitochondria", is available open access at journals.plos.org

Cifarelli will be presenting the paper at the World Mitochondria Society annual meeting in Berlin, Germany.

–WVU MEDICINE–

Media Inquiries:

Amy Romano, WVU Cancer Institute Manager, Marketing, amy.romano@wvumedicine.org