How a sugar-coating enzyme helps aggressive brain tumor cells survive and adapt
Official title: Sialylation in the Maintenance and Metabolic Plasticity of Neural Stem Cell-Like Brain Tumor Cells
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11144280 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether the enzyme ST6Gal1 — which adds a sugar called sialic acid to proteins — helps aggressive glioblastoma cells stay stem-like and change their metabolism, which could matter for adults with glioblastoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $488,076 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS127424-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144280 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with glioblastoma or people able to donate tumor tissue for research would be the most directly relevant participants.
✕Less likely to help
People without brain tumors, children, or patients with unrelated conditions are unlikely to be directly involved or to benefit from this project.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, scientists will examine glioblastoma tumor cells in the lab to identify which cell-surface proteins receive a2,6 sialylation from the enzyme ST6Gal1 and how those changes affect cell behavior. The team will use patient-derived tumor-initiating cells and cultured cell models, molecular assays to map sialylated proteins, and metabolic tests to see how cells adapt their fuel use. They may also use animal models to observe how altering ST6Gal1 influences tumor growth and spread. Overall the approach links specific sugar modifications on proteins to survival, invasion, and stem-like properties of tumor cells.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new molecular targets for therapies that block survival and adaptability of glioblastoma stem-like cells.
How similar studies have gone: Glycosylation in brain tumors is a relatively new area with limited prior studies, though the investigators' preliminary data suggest ST6Gal1 may promote glioblastoma aggressiveness.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hjelmeland, Anita Borton — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Hjelmeland, Anita Borton
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.