A protein may help brain tumors hide from the immune system
Original title: SH2B3 Promotes PD-L1-Mediated Immune Evasion in Glioblastoma via BRCC3-Dependent IGF2BP2 Stabilization.
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 done in cells and in mice, not tested as a treatment in people.
The short version
Early lab work points to a protein that may 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 escape the body's defenses.
What was studied. Scientists looked at a protein called SH2B3 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. They used tumor cells in a dish, mice, and health records from people with 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.
What they found. People with more SH2B3 tended to have higher grade tumors and shorter survival. Changing SH2B3 did not change how the cells grew or moved in a dish. But in mice, more SH2B3 made tumors grow faster, and less of it slowed them down.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: SH2B3 may be worth studying as a target for future immune treatments. There is no drug for it today.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a new treatment is coming soon. The work was done in cells and in mice, not in a treatment trial in people. It is not a cure, and it does not change the care anyone gets now.
Source: PubMed, August 24, 2026 · Read the original
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