PhD defence: Mathilde Søbye Blaavand

On Friday 2 October at 13:00, Mathilde Søbye Blaavand defends her PhD dissertation entitled “Mechanisms of tumor cell invasion in glioblastoma”.

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. Even after surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the disease almost always returns because tumor cells spread into the surrounding brain tissue, making complete removal impossible. A new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health, investigated the biological mechanisms that allow glioblastoma cells to invade the brain. The project was carried out by Mathilde Søbye Blaavand, who is defending her thesis on 2^nd of October 2026.

Using gene editing, the project developed a new mouse model that closely mimics the invasive growth pattern seen in patients with glioblastoma. The model was used to identify molecular factors that drive tumor cell dissemination in the brain.

The studies identified ROCK1 and periostin as important regulators of tumor invasion and revealed a distinct population of tumor cells specialized for migration. Blocking ROCK1 or periostin reduced tumor cell spread and prolonged survival in experimental models.

Together, the findings provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying glioblastoma invasion and establish a platform for future studies aimed at preventing tumor cells from spreading through the brain.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Bartholin Auditorium, room 1241-135, Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information.  

Contact

PhD student Mathilde Søbye Blaavand
Email: msb@biomed.au.dk 
Phone +45 22486748

See full press release