Research teams from University of Michigan study how brain tumors use nutrients to grow. Their recent research found that cutting off tumors’ preferred fuel not only slowed their growth but also made chemotherapy and radiation more effective. Could precision diets become part of cancer treatment? The results are promising.
The team discovered that glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain cancer, redirects nutrients to support its growth and scavenges the amino acid serine as an alternative fuel. This weakness could be exploited to “starve” tumors and boost the effectiveness of existing treatments.
More reading:
1. Daniel Mobilio & Sheila Singh. Depriving brain tumours of an amino acid could enhance chemotherapy. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02531-9
2. Scott, A. J. et al. Rewiring of cortical glucose metabolism fuels human brain cancer growth. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09460-7 (2025).
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