Brain tumor cells find a way around targeted drugs
Original title: Adaptive kinase signaling enables escape from small molecule inhibition 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 on tumor samples grown in a dish, not in people.
The short version
In lab tests, 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 switched to backup signals and kept growing despite targeted drugs.
What was studied. Researchers grew six small tumor samples from people with 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. They tested nine approved drugs that can reach the brain, one drug at a time.
What they found. All six samples kept growing at least a little, no matter which single drug was used. Drugs aimed at targets deeper inside the cell lowered growth better than drugs aimed at the cell surface. The cells turned on other signals to get around each drug. Pairing two drugs, CHIR99021 and trametinib, worked best.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This may help explain why single targeted drugs have not helped people with 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 much so far. Testing a person's own tumor cells in the lab might one day help doctors pick better drug pairs.
What it doesn't mean: This was lab work on tumor samples in a dish. It was not a test in people. No one was treated, and no one lived longer. The drug pair is not care you can ask for today, and it is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, November 3, 2026 · Read the original
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