A drug that switches on a protein slowed pituitary tumors in lab tests
Original title: Activator of Sirt6 exerts antitumor activity in pituitary neuroendocrine tumors.
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 done in cells in a dish and in mice.
The short version
An experimental drug slowed pituitary tumor growth in cells and in mice.
What was studied. Researchers studied a protein called Sirt6 in pituitary tumors. They then tested a drug called MDL-800 that turns Sirt6 on. They tried it on tumor cell lines, on mice, and on tumor cells taken from patients.
What they found. Sirt6 levels were low in pituitary tumor tissue and in two pituitary cell lines. When Sirt6 was active, the tumor cells grew less and formed fewer colonies. The drug MDL-800 slowed tumor growth in cells and in mice. It also made tumor cells from patients break themselves down and die.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new target for a pituitary tumor drug. Surgery is the main treatment now, but it cannot always remove the whole tumor. A drug like this might help in that case someday. For now it is a research idea, not a choice you can ask for.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a new treatment is ready. The work was done in cells in a dish and in mice, not in people with these tumors. No one knows yet if MDL-800 is safe or helpful for patients. It is not a cure, and it is many years away from everyday care.
Source: PubMed, October 7, 2026 · Read the original
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