Mevalonate pathway activation in Ewing sarcoma reveals a 3D-specific synergy between statins and BCL-xL inhibition
Branka Radic-Sarikas, Marica Markovic, Martha Magdalena Zylka, Caterina Sturtzel, Mathias Ilg, Didier Surdez, Martin Metzelder, Martin Distel, Aleksandr Ovsianikov, Florian Halbritter, Heinrich Kovar · 2026
Read Mevalonate pathway activation in Ewing sarcoma reveals a 3D-specific synergy between statins and BCL-xL inhibition by Branka Radic-Sarikas, Marica Markovic, Martha Magdalena Zylka, Caterina Sturtzel, Mathias Ilg, Didier Surdez, Martin Metzelder, Martin Distel, Aleksandr Ovsianikov, Florian Halbritter, Heinrich Kovar (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13251664.txt.
Description
Branka Radic-Sarikas and co-authors find a drug pairing that hits a rare bone cancer, using lab models grown in 3D, in a 2026 study. Ewing sarcoma strikes mostly children and teens, and targeted drugs for it are scarce. Flat cell cultures, the usual test bed, mimic real tumors poorly. The team built a standard 3D platform, with cell balls, printed constructs, and patient-derived grafts.
In 3D, the tumor cells leaned hard on a fat-making route called the mevalonate pathway. That lean opened a weak spot. Statins, which block the pathway, paired with a second drug that blocks a survival protein, killed tumor cells together. The pairing spared healthy skin cells, and flat cultures had hidden the effect. The authors say 3D models can surface real drug options that older tests miss.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Branka Radic-Sarikas, Marica Markovic, Martha Magdalena Zylka, Caterina Sturtzel, Mathias Ilg, Didier Surdez, Martin Metzelder, Martin Distel, Aleksandr Ovsianikov, Florian Halbritter, Heinrich Kovar |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 62 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |