Possible origin of neuroblastoma in the adrenal glands discovered

Neuroblastoma is a childhood cancer, most commonly affecting children aged between two to three and can be fatal. Since the tumor cells resemble certain cells in the adrenal glands, a joint research group from MedUni Vienna’s Center for Brain Research and the Swedish Karolinska Institute investigated the cellular origin of these cells and sympathetic neurons during the embryonic development of human adrenal glands. During the course of their investigations, they discovered a previously unknown cell type that might potentially be the origin of the tumor cells.