STAT3 and neoplasm: To further understand if the CUS protocol could affect GBM aggressiveness at the molecular level, we performed qRT-PCR analyses in ex vivo tumor tissues collected from these mice for genes associated with GBM aggressiveness, such as Cxcr4, Gfap, Akt1, Mapk1, Mapk3, Stat3, Egfr, Pdgfra and Trp53. No significant differences were found in gene expression levels between each experimental group (Figure 4; unpaired t-test).