Aggressive brain tumors build protective “sugar shield” to survive extreme stress
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Jun-2026 11:16 ET (22-Jun-2026 15:16 GMT/UTC)
For the first time, researchers have identified a previously unrecognized metabolic defence mechanism in aggressive brain tumours: a sugar-rich shield that surrounds tumour cells and protects them against a particularly destructive form of cell death.
A molecule that helps regulate gene activity has also been shown to drive skin cancer growth and tumors’ ability to evade attack by the body’s immune system, a new study shows.
Glioblastoma is a deadly brain cancer that suppresses the immune system and doesn’t respond well to available therapies
Researchers engineered a cancer-targeting virus that can be injected directly in glioblastoma tumors
Adding an immune booster to the virus increased the length of survival in a subset of patients and helped identify blood biomarkers in patients most likely to benefit
University of Calgary researchers have designed a study to investigate whether high doses of vitamin B3 or niacin could rejuvenate compromised immune cells to kill glioblastoma tumour cells. The clinical trial was designed to determine the maximum dose and potential benefit of controlled-release niacin that could be added to the recommended chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.