A protein may explain why anti-VEGF drugs stop working in glioblastoma
Original title: Tumor-Intrinsic HEXB Drives Endothelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition and Confers Resistance to Anti-Angiogenic Therapy in Glioblastoma.
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.
The short version
Lab and mouse work points to one reason a common brain tumor drug can stop helping.
What was studied. Researchers looked at the blood vessel cells inside 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 tumors. They studied a protein called HEXB and what it does to those cells. They also tried a HEXB blocker together with anti-VEGF treatment in mice.
What they found. HEXB changed the blood vessel cells in the brain. That change was the main reason tumors stopped responding to anti-VEGF drugs. HEXB worked by protecting another protein from being broken down, which then raised a third protein. In mice, a HEXB blocker plus anti-VEGF worked well together.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Anti-VEGF drugs often stop helping 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 patients over time. This work offers a possible reason why. It also points to a new drug pairing that researchers can test next.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a new treatment is ready. The work was done in lab cells and in mice, not in people. No HEXB blocker has been tested in people with brain tumors. You cannot ask your doctor for this today. It is not a cure, and it is a long way from everyday care.
Source: PubMed, October 8, 2026 · Read the original
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