A protein called TIGAR helps glioblastoma stem cells divide
Original title: TIGAR Maintains Mitotic Spindle Organization and βII-Tubulin Stability in Glioma Stem Cells.
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
Scientists found a protein that brain tumor stem cells need to grow, and blocking it slowed tumors in mice.
What was studied. Researchers studied a protein called TIGAR in human glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary stem cells grown in the lab. They turned the protein off in the cells, and they also tested this in mice with brain tumors.
What they found. TIGAR levels were high in human glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary tissue. Higher levels went along with more aggressive tumors and worse outcomes for patients. When the researchers turned TIGAR off, the tumor cells got stuck and could not divide properly. In mice, turning TIGAR off slowed tumor growth and the animals lived longer.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new target for future glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary drugs. It may work no matter what a tumor's TP53: A gene checked on the tumor tissue. Whether it has changed is one of the findings used to name an astrocytoma. Ask your team whether the change they found was in the tumor only. See the glossary gene looks like. Right now it is a clue for researchers, not something a doctor can offer you.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. The work was done in lab cells and in mice, not in people. No drug that blocks TIGAR has been tested in patients. Many findings like this never become a treatment. This is not a cure, and it will not change your care today.
Source: PubMed, July 1, 2026 · Read the original
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