Common Antidepressant Proves Effective Against Glioblastoma

You know that I am always looking for interesting news on the treatment of glioblastoma. This news just published seems really interesting to me, both for the result and for the approach used. Researchers at ETH Zurich used a pharmacological screening platform they developed to demonstrate that an antidepressant already on the market, vortioxetine, is able to kill tumor cells of the feared glioblastoma, at least in cell cultures in the laboratory.

Glioblastoma is a particularly aggressive type of brain cancer and currently incurable. Although therapeutic options such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy can extend the life expectancy of patients, half of them die within twelve months of diagnosis. The search for effective new drugs is complicated by the blood-brain barrier, which prevents many drugs from reaching the brain.

In a large-scale screening, the antidepressant vortioxetine emerged as one of the most effective agents against glioblastoma cells. This drug, already approved by bodies such as the FDA in the United States and Swissmedic in Switzerland, is known for its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, making it an ideal candidate for the treatment of brain tumors.

The team led by Professor Berend Snijder used the “pharmacoscopy” platform to simultaneously test hundreds of substances on human tumor cells. The study mainly involved neuroactive substances, including antidepressants, Parkinson’s drugs and antipsychotics, testing up to 130 agents in total on tumor tissue from 40 patients.

Using imaging techniques and computer analysis, the researchers identified vortioxetine as particularly effective at targeting tumor cells. This antidepressant works by rapidly activating a signaling cascade that is important for neural progenitor cells, but which suppresses division in tumor cells.

Subsequently, researchers at the University Hospital of Zurich tested vortioxetine on guinea pigs with glioblastoma, finding good efficacy, especially in combination with current standard treatments.

The research group at ETH Zurich and the University Hospital of Zurich is now planning two clinical trials. One involves treating patients with vortioxetine in addition to standard therapy (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy). A smart idea to understand whether this drug, when combined with standard therapy, can actually improve its efficacy and, consequently, life expectancy for patients. The other will offer patients a personalized selection of drugs, determined using the pharmacoscopic platform for each individual. This is an innovative approach because it focuses on personalization.

Professor Michael Weller, head of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Zurich and co-author of the study, said: “The advantage of vortioxetine is that it is safe and very affordable. Since the drug is already approved, it does not have to go through a complex approval process and could soon complement the standard therapy for this deadly brain tumor.”

Despite the promising findings, experts warn against using vortioxetine on its own to treat glioblastoma. “We still don’t know whether the drug works in humans and what dose is needed to fight the tumor, which is why clinical trials are needed. Self-medication would be an incalculable risk,” Weller stressed.

Professor Snijder also added: “So far, efficacy has only been demonstrated in cell cultures and in mice.” However, he believes the study represents an ideal result: “We started with this terrible tumor and found existing drugs that fight it. We show how and why they work and will soon be able to test them in patients.”

If vortioxetine proves effective in clinical trials, it could be the first time in decades that a new agent has improved the treatment of glioblastoma. The discovery offers new hope in a field where treatment options are limited and underscores the importance of continued research and innovation in repurposing existing drugs.