Researchers at Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan have made a significant discovery that may unveil new therapies for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. The research team, led by Dr. Prakash Chinnaiyan, found that glioblastoma cells work with a patient’s immune system to generate quinolinate, which halts the activity of surrounding immune cells and prevents them from attacking the tumor.
Search Antibodies Search Now Use our Antibody Search Tool to find the right antibody for your research. Filter
by Type, Application, Reactivity, Host, Clonality, Conjugate/Tag, and Isotype.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, could open the door for new and successful treatments for the disease, removing the mystery around glioblastoma and possibly other conditions.
In their study, Dr. Chinnaiyan’s team used over 100 patient-derived glioblastoma tumors and created a genetically-engineered mouse model that could no longer produce quinolinate. The tumors implanted in these mice grew significantly slower, and when analyzed in the lab, demonstrated robust immune activation, suggesting this pathway may serve as a new therapeutic target for glioblastoma.
At the time of writing, no medications are available to stop the production of quinolinate, but this research provides a framework to design new immunotherapies targeting quinolinate accumulation associated with this disease and possibly others.
Dr. Chinnaiyan and his team will continue their research to identify a compound that may be able to target quinolinate and ideally extend their findings to other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
These findings encourage future research to further examine this pathway’s impact on oncogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, the team offers a framework for developing immune modulatory agents for further clinical understanding.