Developing new therapies for glioblastoma is crucial, as survival rates for this disease have changed very little over the last 20 years. Our research suggests this therapy could both destroy cancer cells and disrupt the tumour microenvironment that enables glioblastoma to persist and recur after treatment. The growing focus on uPAR is also driving new collaborative efforts to develop therapies that could potentially work across multiple hard-to-treat cancers.”
Sheila Singh, Professor of Neuro-oncology and Neurosurgery at King’s College London and senior author of the study
22 May 2026
Researchers identify possible new treatment target for glioblastoma
Researchers have developed a next-generation immunotherapy that has shown promising early results against glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive and common form of adult brain cancer.
Glioblastoma remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat, and survival rates have improved very little over the past two decades. Standard treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are often unable to stop the cancer from returning.
The study, led by Professor Sheila Singh from King's College London and McMaster University, used advanced molecular analysis methods to search for new treatment targets.
The scientists identified a protein called uPAR as a promising new therapeutic target in recurrent glioblastoma. They found that uPAR is present at high levels in aggressive tumour cells, particularly treatment-resistant brain tumour–initiating cells (BTICs), as well as on immune cells in the tumour microenvironment that help support tumour growth.
They showed that uPAR appears to play an important role in helping glioblastoma cells grow, spread and invade surrounding tissue and resist treatment. When they removed uPAR from tumour cells in laboratory experiments, the cancer cells became less aggressive and less able to self-renew and form tumours.
Using this discovery, the team developed engineered immune cells known as uPAR CAR T cells. These modified immune cells were designed to recognise and attack cells carrying the uPAR protein. In laboratory studies and mouse models, the therapy successfully killed glioblastoma cells, reduced tumour growth and improved survival.
The therapy may also target tumour-associated macrophages, immune cells within the tumour microenvironment that normally suppress the body’s immune response and help the cancer survive. By targeting both the tumour cells and the surrounding supportive environment, the researchers believe the therapy could overcome some of the major barriers that have limited previous glioblastoma immunotherapies.
While the findings are still at a preclinical stage and have not yet been tested in humans, the study suggests that uPAR CAR T cells could represent a promising new approach for treating recurrent glioblastoma.
The study was conducted at McMaster’s Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research and was supported by funds from the Department of Surgery at McMaster and a McMaster Surgical Associates grant. Funding for antibody production came from a Terry Fox Research Institute grant.
Read the full paper published in Science Translational Medicine.
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Professor of Neuro-oncology and Neurosurgery.