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Brain tumours in mice grow more slowly when starved of key amino acid

Some glioblastomas steal serine from their environment — a weakness that opens the door to treatment.
By
  1. Traci Watson
A 3D diffusion tensor imaging MRI scan of nerve pathways in a brain with a pronounced cancerous tumour.

Brain tumours called glioblastomas (red splotch at lower left of this coloured scan) grow rapidly and usually kill people within 1–2 years of their diagnosis. Credit: Zephyr/SPL

A highly lethal type of brain tumour often steals key nutrients to aid its aggressive growth — a habit that can be exploited to slow the cancer’s spread, scientists have found1.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02801-6

Read the related News & Views, ‘Metabolic tracing reveals brain cancer vulnerability’.

References

  1. Scott, A. J. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09460-7 (2025).

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