Unveiling the fresh developments in the fight against malignant brain tumors

In the ongoing battle against brain cancer, particularly glioblastoma, researchers are making significant strides in developing new and innovative treatment strategies.

Dr. Anthony Wang has launched a groundbreaking clinical trial for a cancer vaccine targeting H3 G34-mutant diffuse hemispheric glioma. The vaccine uses the patient's own dendritic cells to target tumor-specific neoantigens caused by disrupted RNA regulation, offering a personalised approach to cancer treatment.

Meanwhile, Dr. Frank Pajonk and his laboratory have developed a treatment strategy that combines radiation therapy with forskolin. This unique approach reprograms brain cancer cells, halting their ability to grow and spread. An early-stage study found that the addition of forskolin to radiation significantly slowed tumor growth in mice and, in some cases, led to long-term tumor control.

Another key discovery has been the identification of a protein called endocan, produced by blood vessel cells in brain tumors. Research suggests that endocan may be a key driver of glioblastoma growth and treatment resistance. By blocking the interaction between endocan and the PDGFRA receptor with ponatinib, researchers were able to slow tumor growth and improve radiation response in lab models. Endocan also plays a role in shaping the tumor's invasive edges, areas that often survive surgery.

The findings indicate that targeting endocan could lead to more effective treatments for glioblastoma. A drug called ABBV-155 that targets BCL-XL significantly shrank tumors in lab models when paired with standard treatments, highlighting BCL-XL as a key player in helping cancer cells evade death.

UCLA researchers are also contributing to the fight against brain cancer. They are developing advanced brain organoid models to understand how glioblastoma develops and spreads. These models aim to uncover the lineage and evolution of glioblastoma cells and identify new strategies to disrupt tumor growth and improve treatment outcomes.

Dr. David Nathanson and his team have developed a new approach that combines genetic and functional profiling to predict glioblastoma treatment response. This personalised approach could potentially lead to more effective treatments for individual patients.

The future of brain cancer treatment looks promising, with researchers at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center making significant strides. Dr. Linda Liau, chair of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the UCLA Brain Tumor Program, expressed hope for improved survival and quality of life for patients with brain tumors. Despite the average lifespan of someone diagnosed with glioblastoma being 12 to 15 months, and only about 5% of people diagnosed being alive five years after their diagnosis, these advancements offer a glimmer of hope for those affected by this devastating disease.