Forced expression of SOX2 in cooperation with FOXG1, another component of the fibroblast-to-NSC reprogramming cocktail that has also been implicated in glioblastoma, can impose a dedifferentiation programme on astrocytes that results in reactivation of cell division and acquisition of NSC-like characteristics (Bulstrode et al., 2017). Here, SOX2 is linked to glioblastoma.