Blocking a protein made an aggressive brain tumor act less aggressive in lab tests
Original title: Unveiling the conversion mechanism of glioblastoma from the mesenchymal to the proneural subtype driven by HDAC1/p-SMAD3-TP53I11 axis.
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 tumor cells and in mice, not in people.
The short version
In cells and mice, turning off a protein called HDAC1 changed a hard to treat glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary into a slower, less invasive type.
What was studied. Researchers studied glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary, a fast growing brain tumor that comes in different types. They tested a protein called HDAC1 in tumor cells in the lab and in mice carrying human tumor tissue.
What they found. The mesenchymal type of tumor, the fast growing and treatment resistant one, had high levels of HDAC1. When the team blocked or removed HDAC1, those cells took on the traits of the slower proneural type. The cells grew and spread less, and mice with the tumor lived longer. A drug called bevacizumab worked against proneural cells, and adding an HDAC1 blocking drug called RG2833 also slowed the mesenchymal cells.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to HDAC1 as a possible target for treating the toughest form of glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. It also helps explain why this tumor type resists treatment. For now it is a lead for future research, not something a doctor can offer.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. The work was done in tumor cells and in mice, not in people. Many things that work in mice do not work in humans. No one knows yet if this is safe or helpful for a patient, and it is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, July 14, 2026 · Read the original
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