A drug called inavolisib helped mice with a type of child brain tumor live longer
Original title: CNS distribution and preclinical activity of the PI3K/AKT inhibitors inavolisib and ipatasertib in pediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas.
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 lab cells and mice, not in people.
The short version
In mice, one of two tested drugs reached the brain and helped them live longer.
What was studied. Researchers tested two drugs, inavolisib and ipatasertib, on a hard-to-treat kind of brain tumor found mostly in children. They used 12 sets of tumor cells in the lab, then tested the drugs in mice with these tumors.
What they found. All 12 sets of tumor cells had changes in the growth signal these drugs block. Inavolisib got into the brain well enough to help the mice live longer. Ipatasertib worked on cells in the lab, but it did not help the mice.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Inavolisib may be worth testing for children whose tumors have a certain gene change, called PIK3CA. It shows this drug can get past the brain's natural shield in mice.
What it doesn't mean: This was only done in lab cells and mice. No people were treated in this study. It is not ready for patients, and it is not a cure. Many drugs that help mice do not help people.
Source: PubMed, September 17, 2026 · Read the original
This plain-language summary was written by AI and published automatically after passing our automatic safety checks. How we write.