A protein helps brain tumor cells hide from immune cells
Original title: LRIG2 suppresses NK cell-induced GSDME-mediated pyroptosis via the LAMP1-STAT3 pathway in 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 dishes and in mice.
The short version
Lab tests found a protein that stops immune cells from killing glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary cells.
What was studied. Researchers mixed human glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary cells with natural killer cells, a kind of immune cell that attacks tumors. They also grew glioma tumors in the brains of mice and treated them with a drug called diABZI.
What they found. The natural killer cells made glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary cells burst open and die in the dish. A protein called LRIG2 blocked that from happening. Glioma cells had a lot of LRIG2. When the team turned LRIG2 down, the immune cells killed more tumor cells again. Mice that got both the LRIG2 change and the drug lived longer.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new target for immune treatments in glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary. It may help explain why natural killer cell therapy has not worked well so far. There is nothing here a patient can ask for today.
What it doesn't mean: This is lab and mouse work only. No person was treated, and no new drug was tested in people. It does not mean a cure, and it is not close to everyday care. Many findings like this never become a treatment.
Source: PubMed, September 15, 2026 · Read the original
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