A tumor protein that takes fuel away from immune cells
Original title: Targeting SLC38A5 Overcomes αPD-1 Immunotherapy Resistance by Alleviating Glutamine Competition Between Glioblastoma Cells and T Cells.
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 mice and in lab samples, not in people.
The short version
In mice, blocking one tumor protein helped an immune drug fight 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.
What was studied. Researchers used gene editing in mice with 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 looked for genes that block an immune drug called anti PD-1.
What they found. One gene, SLC38A5, stood out. Tumor cells use it to soak up a fuel called glutamine. Human 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 had more of this gene than normal brain tissue. Turning the gene off did not slow tumor growth on its own. But it made the immune drug work much better in mice. It left more glutamine for T cells, which are immune cells that attack tumors. The team also made a small lab built antibody aimed at SLC38A5. It reached brain tumors in mice and helped the immune drug slow tumor growth.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Immune drugs like anti PD-1 usually do not work well 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. This study points to one possible reason. The tumor may be taking fuel that immune cells need. That gives scientists a new target to study.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a new treatment is ready. All of the testing was done in mice and in lab samples. No patients were treated in this study. The lab built antibody is a research tool, not an approved drug. It is years away from everyday care, if it works at all. This is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, October 5, 2026 · Read the original
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