A group of drugs helped immune cells attack brain tumor cells in lab tests
Original title: A Patient-Derived Screen Identifies HDAC Inhibitors as Enhancers of Phagocytosis and Potent Immunotherapy Partners.
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 on cells in the lab and in an animal model, not in people.
The short version
Researchers found drugs that push the immune cells inside a brain tumor to start eating tumor cells.
What was studied. Researchers took immune cells called macrophages and microglia directly out of the tumors of people with glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. They tested 1,365 compounds on those cells to see which ones made the cells better at eating cancer cells.
What they found. Drugs known as HDAC inhibitors came up again and again as the top hits. They helped the immune cells eat cancer cells across several different patient samples, and they worked better when paired with an antibody that blocks a protein called CD47. In an animal model of glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary, one of these drugs, Pracinostat, slowed tumor growth and helped the animals live longer. Adding the CD47 antibody gave a bit more benefit.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new way to fight glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. Instead of attacking the tumor directly, it retrains the immune cells that are already inside it. It also gives researchers a short list of drugs worth testing next.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment you can ask for. The work was done on cells in the lab and in an animal model, not in people with brain tumors. Pracinostat has not been shown to help people with glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. This is early stage science, and it is a long way from everyday care. It is not a promise of a cure.
Source: PubMed, July 14, 2026 · Read the original
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