A protein called NCOA3 may help brain tumors grow
Original title: Integrated profiling identifies NCOA3 as a prognostic factor in patients with glioma.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done on cells in a lab, not in people. It is a very early step.
This was only done in lab cells and in animals, not in people.
The short version
Lab tests point to a protein that helps brain tumor cells grow, and blocking it slowed them down.
What was studied. Researchers looked at a protein called NCOA3 in glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary, a fast growing brain tumor. They studied tumor cells in the lab and tumors in animals. They lowered the protein, and they also blocked it with a drug called SI-2.
What they found. Brain tumor tissue had high levels of NCOA3. Higher levels were linked with worse outcomes. When the team blocked NCOA3, tumor cells grew and moved less, and tumors in animals were slowed. Blocking it also changed how the cells use sugar for energy. Adding SI-2 made tumor cells respond better to TMZ, a chemo drug.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: NCOA3 could become a target for new brain tumor drugs one day. It might also help doctors tell which tumors are likely to grow faster. Any real treatment from this is still a long way off.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a new treatment is here. The work was done in cells in a dish and in animals, not in people. SI-2 has not been tested in people with brain tumors. It is not a cure, and it is not a promise of one. Many years of testing would come first, and most early findings like this do not become treatments.
Source: PubMed, August 13, 2026 · Read the original
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