Scientists in Glasgow have announced a major step forward in the fight against two aggressive forms of cancer, potentially paving the way for new, targeted treatments.
A Hijacked Cellular Pathway
Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute focused their investigation on a critical signalling system within cells known as the WNT pathway. This system normally controls healthy cell growth, but specific genetic errors can hijack it, causing uncontrolled cell division and leading to tumour development in the bowel and liver.
The team discovered that these genetic faults result in abnormally high levels of a specific protein called nucleophosmin, or NPM1, within these cancers. This finding, published on Monday 19 January 2026, pinpoints a crucial new target for therapy.
Targeting a Non-Essential Protein
The most promising aspect of the discovery is that NPM1 appears not to be essential for the function of healthy adult tissues. This means that treatments designed to block this protein could attack cancer cells while sparing normal ones, leading to fewer side effects for patients.
Blocking NPM1 offers a potentially safe and effective strategy for treating specific bowel and liver cancers that are currently hard to tackle. The research is part of the global Cancer Grand Challenges initiative, which aims to solve some of the toughest problems in oncology.
Next Steps: Towards Personalised Medicine
The breakthrough moves the scientific community closer to more personalised cancer care. The immediate next phase for researchers will be to develop and test drugs capable of blocking the production of the NPM1 protein.
This work represents a significant shift from broad-spectrum treatments to precise interventions that target the unique genetic makeup of a patient's tumour. The hope is that future therapies stemming from this discovery will offer new hope for those diagnosed with these challenging cancers.
