A protein called SERPINE1 may help brain tumor cells survive radiation
Original title: Integrated Transcriptomic and Functional Analyses Identify SERPINE1 as a Ferroptosis-Associated Mediator of Glioblastoma Radioresistance.
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 done with computer data and cells in a dish, not in people.
The short version
Lab work points to one protein that seems to help glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells live through radiation.
What was studied. Researchers looked at gene data from glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary patients who had radiation, using public databases. They then tested the SERPINE1 protein in two lab-grown glioblastoma cell lines, U87 and U251.
What they found. SERPINE1 levels were higher in glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary tumors than in normal tissue. Tumors with high SERPINE1 were linked to worse survival. In lab cells, lowering SERPINE1 made the cells easier to kill with radiation, while raising it helped the cells survive radiation.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to one possible target that might someday make radiation work better for glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. Right now it only tells scientists where to look next.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a new treatment, and it is not a cure. The work was done on stored patient data and on cells in a dish, not in people getting care. No one was given a drug for this. It could be many years, if ever, before this changes what a doctor can offer.
Source: PubMed, September 14, 2026 · Read the original
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