Blocking three targets at once helped mice with brain tumors
Original title: Combined blockade of VEGF, Angiopoietin-2, and PD1 reprograms glioblastoma endothelial cells into quasi-antigen-presenting cells
How far along is this research?
This is a preprint. Other scientists have not checked it yet, so treat it as an early signal rather than an answer.
This was only done in mice and in lab grown tissue, not in people.
The short version
In mice, a three drug combo helped the immune system attack glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary.
What was studied. Researchers tested glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary in mice and in a lab grown human tumor model made from human cells. They blocked three targets at once: VEGF, Ang2, and PD1.
What they found. The blood vessels inside the tumor did not work right. That helped the tumor resist immune drugs. Blocking all three targets changed the vessel cells so immune cells could get into the tumor. The mice had a lasting anti-tumor response, and brain swelling stayed under control. The lab grown human model showed the same thing.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to one reason immune drugs have not worked 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 so far. The authors say this drug combo is worth testing in people with glioblastoma.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. The work was done in mice and in lab grown tissue, not in patients. No one has tested this combo in people 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 yet. It is early lab work, it is far from everyday care, and it is not a cure.
Source: bioRxiv (preprint), August 25, 2026 · Read the original
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