An enzyme helps brain tumor cells survive low oxygen
Original title: Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase directly couples redox homeostasis to proline biosynthesis in human glioma.
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 lab cells and in mice.
The short version
Scientists found an enzyme that brain tumor cells seem to depend on to keep growing.
What was studied. Researchers studied human 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 cells, a type of brain tumor. They tested the cells in the lab and in mice that carried human tumors.
What they found. The tumors made a lot of proline. Proline is a building block that cells use. An enzyme called NNT helped the cells make and store proline. This mattered most when oxygen was low. The enzyme also helped the tumors keep growing in mice.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible weak spot in brain tumor cells. If a drug could block this enzyme, it might slow tumor growth. That idea still has to be tested.
What it doesn't mean: This is early lab work. It was done in cells and in mice, not in people. There is no drug for this enzyme that patients can get. It does not change care today, and it is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, August 21, 2026 · Read the original
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