In mice, an immune protein helped one brain tumor type and hurt another
Original title: Genetic drivers shape TREM2-dependent myeloid responses and glioblastoma progression
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.
The short version
In mice, removing an immune protein helped one brain tumor type but not another.
What was studied. Researchers studied mice with two kinds of 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. Each kind was driven by different gene changes. They removed an immune protein called TREM2 and watched what happened.
What they found. Mice with the Nf1 and Ras type lived longer and had smaller tumors without TREM2. Mice with the PDGFB type had larger tumors instead, and their survival did not change. Removing TREM2 before the tumor started helped mice live longer, but removing it later did not.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Drugs that block TREM2 are being looked at for brain tumors. This work hints that one such drug may not work the same way for every tumor. The gene changes in a tumor, and the timing, may matter a lot.
What it doesn't mean: This work was done only in mice, not in people. No treatment was given to any patient. It does not mean a TREM2 drug is close to being ready, and it is not a cure. Nothing here changes the care you get today.
Source: bioRxiv (preprint), October 27, 2026 · Read the original
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