Glioblastoma Research News in the Fourth Two Months of 2022

This is the sixteenth article of the project which has the objective to collect (every two months) the news of the research on possible treatments for glioblastoma multiforme.
Below is the news that we considered most significant. As for the previous articles in the series, each news will be preceded by the original title with a link to the source and followed by a short comment. The criterion by which news is chosen is always to include in general only news related to research in the clinical phase, unless the research potential for the treatment of glioblastoma is really significant.

SonALAsense achieves important clinical, growth and funding milestones towards its mission to effectively defeat cancer
This treatment is very elegant. The patient is injected with 5-ALA which is a dye that is mainly concentrated in the tumor. Ultrasounds are applied using a helmet for a few minutes. This activates the dye which kills the cancer cells. The treatment is non-invasive and can be repeated. This is the link to the clinical study for glioblastoma: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05362409.

A prospective cohort study of SITOIGANAP for the treatment of glioblastoma
Sitoiganap is a therapeutic vaccine also called Gliovac or ERC1671. The article presents the results of a study performed in “expanded access” mode on patients with recurrent glioblastoma. It is not a randomized study because each patient is allowed to enter differently from the randomized studies where only those who respond to the characteristics of the study enter. However, this means that worse results would be expected. Instead, the vaccine more than doubled the median survival which is 19.6 months compared to 8 months in previous studies for recurrent glioblastoma. The 2-year survival is 45%.

The mechanisms of action of the tumor treatment fields
This article studies the mechanisms of action of the device Opting for ideas to improve its effectiveness. It appears that Optune device helps to concentrate 5-ALA (Gleolan) in cancer cells which could enhance the efficacy of sonodynamic therapy (SonALAsense). The Optune device also opens the blood brain barrier for chemotherapy to pass better and get to the tumor site. It would also appear that the Optune device slows the migration of cancer cells. In the case of the use of drugs such as Avastin which absorbs the blood reducing the influx of the tumor, the tumor reacts by migrating the cells in search of oxygen. If the Optune device blocks the migration this dangerous side effect would be avoided with the consequence of improving the effectiveness of the therapy.

Molecular alterations associated with better outcome in glioblastoma patients treated with tumor treatment fields
The authors of the article looked for some biomarkers that can predict the success of the Optune device in patients and found 3 that make a difference. Patients with these three biomarkers have a 45-month survival of 82%.

G47delta intratumoral oncolytic herpes virus for residual or recurrent glioblastoma: a phase 2 study
The study authors reported a median survival of 20 months for recurrent glioblastoma and a 1-year survival rate of 84% which is an exceptional result. The clinical trial is single-arm and the treatment is currently approved in Japan.

Glioblastoma cells invade the brain as neuronal free riders
The article explains how Glioblastoma cells move by infiltrating healthy brain tissue, fix themselves in a position suitable for their survival, and then form malignant networks through which they reconnect with the main tumor site. These invaders move like embryonic nerve cells and make contact with other nerve cells. Discovering these mechanisms can help us understand how to inhibit and block them, making therapies more effective.

There are no other relevant research news for these last two months. Meanwhile, it is estimated that the market for glioblastoma treatments will reach $ 4 billion in 2028 which as usual is bad news because it means that the spread of this cancer is growing but it also means that more money will be available for research as a growing market is more attractive to pharmaceutical companies. Best of luck to all those fighting glioblastoma and their loved ones!