Overview

• UCL-led research published in Nature shows that early glioblastomas injure axons and that the brain’s SARM1-mediated clearance of those axons accelerates tumor progression.
• In mice lacking SARM1, tumors remained less aggressive, survival was extended, and neurological function was preserved until near end of life.
• Tumors preferentially expanded in axon-rich white matter, and experimentally increasing axonal injury hastened disease, coinciding with heightened inflammation.
• Investigators note that SARM1 inhibitors under early development for traumatic brain injury and motor neuron disease could be explored for glioblastoma after further laboratory validation.
• The findings are preclinical and indicate that protecting axons may delay rather than eradicate tumor growth, pointing to likely combinations with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.