In this study, researchers wanted to understand why colorectal cancer (CRC) sometimes spreads to the brain — a rare but very serious event. By studying more than 35,000 patient samples, they found that tumors that reach the brain often have extra copies of a gene called IRS2. This gene acts like an “accelerator pedal” that helps cancer cells survive in the difficult environment of the brain, where there’s less oxygen and fewer nutrients. Cancer cells with high IRS2 levels activate certain survival pathways and change the way they produce energy, giving them a major advantage in the brain.

The team then tested a drug called NT219, which blocks IRS2. In lab experiments and animal models, blocking IRS2 slowed the cancer cells’ growth and weakened their ability to adapt to the brain environment. When the drug was combined with a standard chemotherapy medicine (5-FU), the treatment became much more effective — shrinking tumors and helping animals live longer. This suggests that targeting IRS2 could become a promising new strategy for treating colorectal cancer that spreads to the brain, a condition that currently has very limited treatment options.

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