A phase three clinical study is beginning for a new glioblastoma treatment. The new drug is called VAL-083 and is specially designed for treatment of late-stage glioblastoma. The study will be carried out at the Gerald J. Glasser Brain Tumor Center, part of the Atlantic Health System. Keep reading to learn more about this new treatment and study, or follow the original story here.
Glioblastoma is among the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. Patients usually survive only 14-20 months after a diagnosis. The typical treatment path includes surgical removal of the tumor, radiation and chemotherapy accompanied by temozolomide. Relapse is incredibly common in glioblastoma patients. To read more about glioblastoma, click here.
The Gerald J. Glasser Brain Tumor Center will be one of four locations in the United States to being a phase three clinical trial of VAL-083. The new drug aims to treat patients whose glioblastoma or gliosarcoma has continued to advance despite standard treatment.
The clinical study will consist of two randomized groups. One group will receive the newly developed drug therapy. A smaller control group will be treated according to standard procedure. Both groups will consist of patients with late-stage glioblastoma. DelMar Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Sponsors the study. Researchers desire to see if the new drug increases odds of survival beyond current methods.
Dr. Kurt Jaeckle will oversee the study as principal investigator. Dr. Jaeckle, a neuro-oncologist, serves as co-medical director of the Gerald J. Glasser Brain Tumor Center alongside neurosurgeon Yaron Moshel, MD, PhD.
“Glioblastoma is very difficult to treat, and I am encouraged by previously reported results with VAL-083,” says Dr. Jaeckle. “I am also happy that some of the most innovative pharmaceutical companies are looking to Atlantic Health System when they seek to test new types of treatments for brain tumors.”
He continues to explain that access to the VAL-083 study and other neuro-oncology clinical trials benefits the patients at his center, and makes him hopeful for the future.
VAL-083 has some original qualities which may make it more effective than other treatments.
VAL-083 is unique in its chemical structure. It is neither similar to or derived from other chemical structures or previous small-molecule therapies. The other unique factor surrounding VAL-083 is its function. VAL-083 has been shown in earlier studies to defeat cancer’s resistance to MGMT. MGMT is a mechanism by which DNA is repaired. Many glioblastomas express a large amount of MGMT. This is one of the primary reasons glioblastoma resists treatment with temozolomide and other common methods of treatment.
Phase one and two studies have already displayed some success by VAL-083. The National Cancer Institue has already sponsored 42 phase one and two studies of VAL-083. Published results from these studies show that VAL-083 may be successful against a wide variety of other cancers as well.
