Scientists at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute have developed a new molecule called JM2 that could change how doctors treat glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.
Glioblastoma is extremely difficult to treat, and most patients survive just over 14 months after diagnosis.
Even after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, the cancer almost always comes back. This is because of special cancer cells called glioblastoma stem cells that resist treatment and regrow the tumor.
In a recent study published in the journal Cell Death and Disease, researchers explained how JM2 works and why it could become an important new therapy.
JM2 targets glioblastoma stem cells specifically and leaves healthy brain cells unharmed. That means it might be able to slow or stop the return of tumors without causing damage to normal brain tissue.
Dr. Samy Lamouille, the study’s lead author, said glioblastoma stem cells are hard to kill because they can lie dormant, survive treatment, and then reactivate to rebuild the tumor.
His lab focuses on understanding how these cancer cells communicate with their environment, especially through a protein called connexin 43. Connexin 43 helps cells send signals to one another and has a complicated role in cancer—sometimes it helps tumors grow, and other times it suppresses them.
Using high-powered imaging, the researchers discovered that connexin 43 in glioblastoma stem cells is linked closely with tiny structures inside the cell called microtubules. This led to the idea of using JM2, a lab-made peptide that mimics the part of connexin 43 that interacts with microtubules.
JM2 was originally developed by Dr. Rob Gourdie, another researcher at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, while he was at the Medical University of South Carolina.
When the scientists tested JM2 on glioblastoma stem cells, they found it blocked the harmful activity of connexin 43 and was toxic to the cancer cells.
Most importantly, JM2 didn’t harm normal brain cells and didn’t interfere with other helpful roles that connexin 43 plays. The molecule slowed tumor growth in lab experiments and in animal models, making it a very promising candidate for future cancer treatments.
Co-author Dr. Michael Lunski helped carry out this research during his residency at Carilion Clinic. The glioblastoma cells used in the study came from patients in Southwest Virginia who donated their tumor tissue for research.
Although the drug is still in early stages of development, scientists believe JM2 could one day be used alongside chemotherapy to help patients live longer by delaying the return of the cancer. Lamouille is now working on delivery systems, such as nanoparticles and viral carriers, to make sure JM2 reaches the right cells in the brain.
To bring this potential treatment to the clinic, Lamouille and Gourdie co-founded a company called Acomhal Research Inc., which has licensed the JM2 peptide. They hope that with further testing, JM2 can become a real option for glioblastoma patients facing limited treatment choices.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about Diabetes drug metformin is a promising ally in prostate cancer battle and findings of Colorectal cancer: The best screening test is the one you take.
For more about cancer, please read studies about Scientists solve the mystery of cancer metastasis and findings of Vitamin B3 supplement is linked to cancer risk and spread.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
