The molecular profile of tumours exploited to establish cell culture were characterised initially with regard to the most common abnormalities occurring in astrocytomas: TP 53 mutational status, EGFR copy number & chromosome 7 polysomy, EGFRvIII presence, CDKN2A status, loss of heterozygosity on 10p and 10q, and IDH1 mutational status. The gene discussed is EGFR; the disease is astrocytoma (excluding glioblastoma).