Dr. Cho-Lea Tso’s research focuses on characterizing and targeting glioblastoma (GBM) stem cells, which are a previously unrecognized subpopulation within the tumor mass and hypothesized to be responsible for tumor development and tumor recurrence. She and her colleagues have established several patient-derived GBM stem cell (GSC) lines and animal models, which allow them to characterize functional linked properties of GSC at cellular, molecular, and genomic levels. Tso’s group aims to identify key factors and developmental gene pathways that maintain GSC quiescent, self-renewing, and anti-apoptotic features, leading to treatment resistance and sustained tumor growth. Their ultimate goal is to translate these knowledge and experimental results into new strategies for developing and designing an effective GBM stem cell-targeted anti-cancer therapy, which is not targeted in the current brain cancer therapy.