A protein pair may help brain tumors resist chemo
Original title: USP5 stabilizes RSK1 and promotes temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma.
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 in cells and animals, not in people.
The short version
Lab work found two proteins that seem to help 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 survive the drug temozolomide: A chemotherapy taken as a capsule, used for some brain tumors. Your team checks your blood counts while you are on it. See the glossary.
What was studied. Researchers studied 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 cells that had stopped responding to temozolomide: A chemotherapy taken as a capsule, used for some brain tumors. Your team checks your blood counts while you are on it. See the glossary, plus tumor tissue and samples from patients. They looked at two proteins, RSK1 and USP5, and tested a drug called WP1130 in cells and in animals.
What they found. RSK1 was higher in cells and tissue that resisted temozolomide: A chemotherapy taken as a capsule, used for some brain tumors. Your team checks your blood counts while you are on it. See the glossary. Turning RSK1 down made the cells respond to the drug again. USP5 was also high in these tumors, and it protected RSK1 from being broken down. The drug WP1130 blocked USP5, which lowered RSK1 and reversed the resistance.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible reason some tumors stop responding to temozolomide: A chemotherapy taken as a capsule, used for some brain tumors. Your team checks your blood counts while you are on it. See the glossary. If the idea holds up, it could lead to new drugs to pair with chemo. In patient samples, higher levels of either protein went with a worse outlook.
What it doesn't mean: This is early lab research in cells and animals, not a treatment people can get. It does not mean WP1130 works in patients, and it is not a cure. It has not been tested in human trials, so no one knows yet if it is safe or helpful for people. Talk to your own care team about your treatment.
Source: PubMed, August 21, 2026 · Read the original
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