Two approved drugs hurt glioblastoma cells in lab tests
Original title: Glioblastoma Tumors with Decelerated Epigenetic Aging Are Characterized by Glutamatergic Neuronal Activity and Stemness
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.
The drugs were only tested on cells in a dish, not in people.
The short version
Two drugs already approved for other uses killed glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells in a dish.
What was studied. Researchers sorted glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary tumors by how old the tumor DNA looked. They then tested two approved drugs, levetiracetam and riluzole, on two lab cell lines, alone and with the chemo drug temozolomide: A chemotherapy taken as a capsule, used for some brain tumors. Your team checks your blood counts while you are on it. See the glossary.
What they found. Tumors whose DNA looked younger had more nerve activity and more stem cell traits. People with those tumors did worse. In the dish, both drugs lowered cell survival and made tumor cells die. Both drugs also made temozolomide: A chemotherapy taken as a capsule, used for some brain tumors. Your team checks your blood counts while you are on it. See the glossary work better on the cells.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: It points to a brain signal called glutamate as a possible weak spot in glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. Both drugs are already approved for other uses. That may make them easier to test in people later.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. The drug tests were done on cells in a dish, not in people. No one knows yet if this helps a person live longer or feel better. It is not a cure. Do not change your care based on this. Talk with your own care team first.
Source: bioRxiv (preprint), August 31, 2026 · Read the original
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