A compound from a sea sponge slowed brain tumors in lab tests
Original title: Targeting P23 by PM534 suppresses glioblastoma via disruption of SFPQ-mediated phase separation.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done in animals, not people. Most findings at this stage never become treatments.
This was only tested in cells and in animals, not in people.
The short version
Scientists found a new compound that slowed glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary in cells and in animals.
What was studied. Researchers tested PM534, a compound based on a marine sponge chemical. They used human glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells and animal models carrying human tumor tissue.
What they found. PM534 strongly slowed glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary growth in the cells and in the animals. The team showed it latches onto a protein called P23. P23 was higher in human glioblastoma tissue, and it rose as tumors grew.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new target for future glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary drugs. Options beyond standard care are limited today. If the work holds up, it could lead to a drug that gets tested in people.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. It is early lab and animal work. No patient was given PM534 in this study. Many compounds that work in the lab do not work in people. It is not a cure, and no doctor can offer it now.
Source: PubMed, November 4, 2026 · Read the original
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