Scientists identify possible weak point in glioblastoma cells
Ohio State University researchers have identified a protein called SET as a target that could make glioblastoma, one of the deadliest brain cancers, more responsive to existing treatments. Preclinical experiments suggest suppressing it may slow tumor growth.
Glioblastoma remains one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with treatment options changing little over the years because these tumors often resist both radiation and chemotherapy. Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have now identified a protein called SET as a potential target that could make glioblastoma cells easier to destroy using therapies already in use.
Importantly, the approach is not meant to replace current treatments but to make them work better. In preclinical experiments, suppressing SET prevented tumors from forming.
A possible weakness in glioblastoma
Among several proteins studied, SET stood out for having a particularly strong effect on tumor formation. The researchers also found that interfering with related proteins made glioblastoma cells more sensitive to radiation.
The team focused on an enzyme called PP2A, which helps regulate signals that cancer cells rely on to grow, survive, and recover from treatment-related damage. Glioblastoma cells appear to suppress PP2A activity through three proteins — ANP32A, CIP2A and SET. When researchers blocked these proteins in laboratory and animal models, fewer cancer cells survived, and the remaining ones became more vulnerable to radiation.
According to Arnab Chakravarti, chair of radiation oncology, glioblastoma is difficult to treat because it adapts and survives, but restoring PP2A activity may make cancer cells less able to withstand treatment.
Next steps
The findings remain preliminary and have not yet been tested in patients. Researchers are now investigating whether SET or other PP2A-suppressing proteins can be safely targeted and whether doing so improves the effectiveness of standard glioblastoma therapies.
The team also examined an FDA-approved antipsychotic drug capable of increasing PP2A activity, though they stressed it is not ready for use as a glioblastoma treatment and should not be used for this purpose outside a clinical trial.
The study was published in the May 2026 issue of Cancer Letters and was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.
