Researchers at IIT Gandhinagar have identified a new way to tackle drug resistance in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), one of the deadliest brain cancers.
The team developed a molecule called J54 that blocks Tousled-like kinase 1 (TLK1), a DNA repair enzyme that helps cancer cells survive chemotherapy. By disabling TLK1, J54 made drug-resistant GBM cells vulnerable again to temozolomide—the standard chemotherapy drug—causing them to die and stopping their spread.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, offers hope for more effective treatments against this aggressive and treatment-resistant cancer.