Lab study finds a protein that makes glioblastoma cells harder to treat
Original title: C3G Downregulation Enhances Stemness in Glioblastoma Cells by Promoting PKM2 Upregulation.
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 cells grown in a lab, not in people.
The short version
In lab-grown glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells, turning down a protein called C3G made the cells act more like stem cells, which are the hardest kind to kill.
What was studied. Researchers worked 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 cells in the lab. They lowered or removed a protein called C3G, then watched how the cells used sugar for energy and how they grew.
What they found. When C3G was lowered, the cells burned sugar differently and made more lactate. This came from higher levels of two proteins, PKM2 and LDHA. The cells also grew more easily into balls of cells and acted more like stem cells. Blocking PKM2, or a related protein called PTBP1, stopped that change. A drug called compound 3K also lowered the survival of cells inside those cell balls.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new target 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. If C3G levels help explain why some tumors resist treatment, that could one day guide tests or new drugs for a smaller group of patients.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. All of this was done in cells grown in the lab, not in people. Compound 3K is a research drug, not something a doctor can prescribe. It is not a cure, and results in cells often do not carry over to patients. Work like this is many years and many studies away from everyday care.
Source: PubMed, July 1, 2026 · Read the original
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