A protein on glioblastoma cells may help the cancer stay alive
Original title: Identification and characterisation of calcitonin receptor isoforms expressed in glioblastoma derived glioma stem and U-87 MG cells.
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 only done with cells in the lab, not in people.
The short version
Lab tests point to one protein that seems to help glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells survive.
What was studied. Scientists worked with glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells grown in the lab. They tested four glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary stem cell lines that came from glioblastoma, plus a cell line called U-87 MG. They looked at a protein called the calcitonin receptor, made by a gene called CALCR.
What they found. This protein is found in 78-88% of tumor samples taken from patients. When the team switched off the CALCR gene in cancer cells, the cells stopped growing right and began to die. Levels of the protein stayed steady even when the cells were put under stress. The team also found a new version of the gene's message in all the glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cell lines they checked.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This gives researchers a new target to study in glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. If the cancer cells need this protein to live, blocking it might one day slow them down. That idea still has to be tested, first in animals and then in people.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. All of this work was done on cells in dishes, not in people. No patient was treated and no one got better. It is very early lab science, and it is a long way from anything a doctor can offer. It is not a promise of a cure.
Source: PubMed, August 13, 2026 · Read the original
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