Insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptors have been detected in normal human brain. However, the role of the IGF's in the brain is not well understood. Although considered to be primarily a fetal growth factor, IGF-II levels continue to be detected at high levels in the CNS of adults, although the functional significance of this observation is unknown. Similarly, what role the IGF's play in brain tumors is unknown. We are initiating studies on normal and malignant brain tissue and in cell cultures derived from these tissues in order to begin to understand the physiologic significance of this family of growth factors in the human brain. Preliminary experiments have detected the presence of IGF but not insulin receptors on cultured glioma cells, suggesting that IGF's may play a role in glioma cell growth.
