A brain tumor drug works in a way scientists did not expect
Original title: DHODH is the key target of the KDM4 inhibitor QC6352 in glioblastoma stem cells.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done on cells in a lab, not in people. It is a very early step.
This was done on cells in the lab, not in people.
The short version
Two drugs slow brain tumor cells by hitting a different target than researchers thought.
What was studied. Researchers tested two related drugs, QC6352 and zavondemstat, on glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells in the lab. They wanted to learn which part of the cell the drugs act on.
What they found. Both drugs were thought to block an enzyme called KDM4. The tests showed that blocking KDM4 is not what slows the cells. The drugs really act on a different enzyme called DHODH, which cells need to grow. When the team worked around DHODH, the drugs stopped slowing growth.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points scientists at the right target in the cell. One of the two drugs, zavondemstat, is a clinical drug. Knowing how it really works may help guide how it is studied and who it might help.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment for brain tumors. The work was done on cells in the lab, not in people. It does not show that either drug helps a person live longer or feel better. It is lab science, far from everyday care, and it is not a promise of a cure.
Source: PubMed, October 6, 2026 · Read the original
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