Targeting ADAR1 in Glioblastoma Slows Tumor Growth and Reignites Immune Response

Researchers at Ludwig Cancer Research in Lausanne, Switzerland, have identified a promising therapeutic target in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive adult brain cancer. Their findings, published in Cell Reports , demonstrate that the loss of a single protein called ADAR1 can both stall the proliferation of distinct types of glioblastoma cells while simultaneously reprogramming the tumor microenvironment into an anti-tumoral state.

“This study provides proof-of-concept for an entirely new strategy for GBM therapy—flipping the switch on the body’s innate virus-fighting machinery and turning it against the tumor,” said senior author Johanna Joyce, PhD, professor of oncology at the University of Lausanne.

Like many cancers, glioblastoma exhibits broad heterog