A protein called CD155 helps a childhood brain tumor hide from the immune system
Original title: CD155 regulates tumor growth and susceptibility to T cell mediated killing in diffuse midline glioma.
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 lab cells and in mice, not in people.
The short version
In lab tests and in mice, blocking a protein called CD155 helped immune cells attack a hard-to-treat childhood brain tumor.
What was studied. Researchers studied diffuse midline glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary, a brain tumor that mostly affects children. They tested human and mouse tumor cells in the lab, looked at brain tumor samples, and treated mice that had these tumors.
What they found. CD155 was the most common immune checkpoint protein found on these tumor cells. When the team turned CD155 off, immune cells called CD8+ T cells killed the tumor cells much better. Tumor cells without CD155 did not grow in mice with a working immune system. When those mice had their CD8+ T cells removed, the tumors grew again. Turning off CD155 also made tumor cells die on their own and slowed tumor growth. The team then found a second protein, FOXM1, that CD155 acts through. A drug called Thiostrepton, which targets FOXM1, slowed tumor growth and helped mice live longer.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new way to treat this tumor. It could work in two ways at once. It may help the immune system attack the tumor, and it may also weaken the tumor cells directly. It gives researchers a clear target to keep working on.
What it doesn't mean: This is early research. The work was done in cells in the lab and in mice, not in people. No child or adult was treated in this study. There is no proof yet that this helps people, and it is not a cure. It is not something a doctor can offer today. Many treatments that work in mice do not work in people. It would take years of testing in people before this could become real care.
Source: PubMed, August 10, 2026 · Read the original
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