As demonstrated in the study published in Cells (Manganelli et al., 2023), heparanase (HPSE) promotes autophagy to support glioma cell survival through structural foundations of lysosomal enrichment and autophagosome localization, combined with its enzymatic activity of cleaving heparan sulfate to remodel the extracellular matrix and non-enzymatic activity of regulating intracellular signaling pathways. This evidence concerns the gene HPSE and central nervous system cancer.