IFNB1 and glioblastoma: Qin et al (2001) also reported that IFN-β gene therapy induced direct antitumour activity and an immunological effect of NK cells against human glioblastoma. However, IFN-β protein showed less of an antiproliferative effect against pancreatic cancer cells than did IFN-α (unpublished data). Although the type 1 IFNs, the α-family and β, share receptor components, they were observed to have differences in their receptor binding and signalling (Abramovich et al, 1994a, 1994b), which may explain their different antitumour activities.