Brain cancer breakthrough as new study finds cell therapy could target deadly glioblastoma

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A novel immunotherapy could lead to a brain cancer breakthrough after showing promising results against glioblastoma, the most aggressive and deadliest form, researchers have said.

Patients diagnosed with this condition typically survive for only 12 to 18 months. Experts at King’s College London and McMaster University in Canada have conducted laboratory work suggesting CAR-T cell therapy could be a treatment. This therapy teaches the body’s immune system to recognise and attack cancerous cells, having already shown dramatic results in other cancer patients. Some CAR-T treatments are now routinely available on the NHS.

In new studies, using glioblastoma models replicating human biology, including those from patient tumours, CAR-T eliminated tumours and suggested long-term disease-free survival.

Lead author Professor Sheila Singh, professor of neuro-oncology and neurosurgery at King’s College London and McMaster University, said: “Glioblastoma is not made up of cancer cells alone.

“A large portion of the tumour consists of immune cells called macrophages.

“These cells normally help defend the body against infection, but glioblastoma can recruit and reprogramme them to help the tumour grow, suppress immune attacks, and resist treatment.”

Researchers identified a protein called GPNMB on both glioblastoma cells and these tumour-supporting macrophages.

By engineering CAR-T cells to recognise GPNMB, the team were able to show how glioblastoma could be attacked on two fronts at once.

Prof Singh said: “Instead of treating glioblastoma as only a mass of cancer cells, we need to think of it as a connected tumour-immune ecosystem.

“Our approach targets both the tumour and the environment that allows it to thrive.

“By going beyond the cancer cells alone, we are also targeting immune cells that help shield the tumour from treatment.”

Dr Karen Noble, director of research and policy at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Around 3,200 people are diagnosed with glioblastoma every year in the UK and devastatingly, just 4% of those diagnosed will survive five years or more.

“New treatment options that can tackle the complexity of this deadly cancer are vital.

“These results are really promising – particularly as CAR-T has been used successfully in other cancer areas and so hopefully this innovation can be translated rapidly for patients.

“Importantly, breakthroughs in the laboratory will only change the story for the brain tumour community once they are turned into treatments in clinics across the UK and research like this highlights the need for more investment to enable discoveries and accelerate the path to patients.

“That’s why we are calling on government to build a more attractive financial and regulatory environment in the UK for the life science industry, to ensure that more clinical trials can get under way and more patients can access these.”

The work was published in the journal Nature (Alamy/PA)

Study co-lead author Shan Grewal, from McMaster, said most previous approaches have focused on killing glioblastoma cancer cells alone.

“Our work suggests we may also need to dismantle the immune support system that helps glioblastoma survive,” he said.

Prof Singh said: “Only through collaboration with scientists across the world and with clinicians can we tackle this devastating disease.

“I’ve seen first-hand through my work as a neurosurgeon the impact glioblastoma has on patients and their family members and I am committed to developing new treatments to improve outcomes for those affected by brain cancer.”

The work was published in the journal Nature.

Yasmin Sheikh, head of policy and public affairs at Anthony Nolan, said: “At Anthony Nolan, we’ve seen first-hand how transformative CAR T-cell therapy can be for people with blood cancer.

“This research is an exciting step forward and adds to growing evidence that CAR T-cell therapy could also offer new hope for people living with other forms of cancer, including brain cancer.

“While these findings are highly encouraging for the future, we also need to be thinking about how innovative treatments like this one can be delivered in practice.

“The NHS must ensure that it has the workforce and infrastructure in place so that patients can benefit from new therapies without delay.”