Experiments show that many brain tumours called glioblastomas grab serine, a crucial amino acid, from their environment rather than synthesizing it themselves: a metabolic Achilles' heel. The scientists fed mice with certain kinds of glioblastoma a diet that lacked serine and found that the rodents' tumours, unable to get their fix the usual way, grew more slowly. The animals also lived longer.
In recent videos posted to a now-private TikTok account, Emily Long spoke candidly about her husband's treatment for the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma, including his seizures, increased irritability, and struggle to find the right regimen of medications.