Glioblastoma is a deadly type of brain cancer which progresses rapidly and kills victims within months. For nearly two decades, no significant progress has been made in developing an effective treatment against this malignancy. Now, a new preclinical study using animal models has unveiled a potential breakthrough that could eliminate these tumors.
The study, whose findings were published in the journal Nature, was conducted by scientists at the startup Trogenix. The team is made up of scientists at the Cancer Institute at University College London, the Royal Infirmary at Edinburgh, and the University of Edinburgh.
The team developed SSEs technology (Synthetic Super-Enhancers) that entails using a viral vector to carry genetic instructions into glioblastoma tumors. The genetic instructions tell the tumor cells to make a toxic substance within the cells themselves, and also cause the body’s immune system to target these cancer cells aggressively.
Using this technology, the team was able to cause the brain cancer tumors to shrink after administering one dose of the treatment. These results were observed in 1-2 weeks after treatment was administered, raising hope that the approach could deliver major results in a short time. Additionally, 83% of the treated animals eventually had their tumors disappear totally in an extra 2-3 weeks.
The researchers also documented the precise effects of this treatment in priming the immune system to go after the cancer cells only while leaving other cells untouched. For 11 months post-treatment, there was no tumor recurrence in the treated subjects.
This early study is also notable for not triggering any adverse events in the subjects. This is rare because existing cancer treatments often trigger different side effects that can be so severe that treatment has to be halted or the patients suffer serious impediments to their quality of life during and after treatment.
The team hopes to start trials involving human subjects this year in order to move the therapy quickly through the development process. Prof. Steve Pollard, Trogenix’s Chief Scientific Officer, said their study shows that what was previously taken to be impossible, that is, totally eliminating glioblastoma tumors while preventing recurrence for a long time, could now be achieved. This advanced “Trojan horse” method could mark a major shift in the way this deadly brain cancer is treated in the years to come.
As the team advances their approach through the next phases involving human participants, other companies like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are also hitting their drug development milestones and the treatment options for people with a glioblastoma diagnosis could soon increase significantly.
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