Latest News

• Oblato Announces that it has received a Positive Response from the FDA for the use of OKN-007 for patients with high-grade gliomas in an Expanded Access Program         The Musella Foundation gave a $30,000 grant to help jumpstart the development of this drug - OKN-007 - back in 2013.  This is your donation dollars hard at work!   They have been running a clinical trial of the drug for newly diagnosed as well as recurrent Glioblastomas.  Early reports look interesting https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2020.38.15_suppl.2538  for recurrent glioblastoma, the median progression free survival was only 1.4 months but overall survival was 21 months.  There was no control group but historically, patients with recurrent glioblastoma rarely live over a year. 21 months would be outstanding. They will soon be starting more clinical trials, for diffuse midline glioma, DIPG, high grade gliomas and others.  They just announced that they will soon open an expanded access program, even before these new trials start. May be worth considering.
  



• Sharing your GBM Experience Helps Others         This survey is from our friends at Pinpoint Patient Recruiting.  They are trying to learn what brain tumor patients need, so they can help you better.  This is similar to the request we made last month but they changed the requirements. Now they are looking for patients diagnosed with a Glioblastoma within the last 24 months, or their caregivers.   You get $75 for doing the survey!
  



• Musella Foundation awards $50,000 brain tumor research grant!         This project lays the foundation for a new way to treat all cancers.  If successful, the methods could be used for any targets.
  



• Neuroscientist Michelle Monje awarded MacArthur 'genius grant'         Well deserved!  Dr Monje is one of the best brain tumor doctors in the world, as well as one of the nicest people! So happy for her!
  



• Repeated superselective intraarterial bevacizumab after blood brain barrier disruption for newly diagnosed glioblastoma: a phase I/II clinical trial         This is a different way to use Avastin: superselective intra-arterial cerebral infusion (SIACI) after Blood Brain Barrier Disruption.  The "standard" way involves IV infusion every other week until progression. This new way is delivering the Avastin only where it is needed by using a catheter inserted through the groin and threaded up to the area of the tumor. They can map out which arteries feed the tumor and inject the Avastin directly into those arteries in the brain, after blood brainso the drug is delivered in very high concentration exactly where it is needed, much higher dose to the tumor than using the IV methods. And the rest of the body doesn't get exposed, or gets a very insignificant dose, so it theoretically shouldn't have the systemic side effects of Avastin.  The procedure to perform this does add a risk, but it is only 3 injections, compared to many more the standard way.   As to results, they look promising. The abstract did not include any controls so I looked up the original Avastin trial for newly diagnosed glioblastoma https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1308573  using the standard IV method, and that did have a control group. This is just a rough comparison, as the results vary widely by many factors so the numbers aren't directly comparable. Control group:  PFS: 7.3 months  Overall Survival:  16.1 months IV Avastin : PFS: 10.7 months  Overall Survival:  15.7 months SIACI Avastin:  PFS: 11.5 months  Overall Survival:  23.1 months This is a proof of concept.  I would love to see this method of delivery used with a customized set of drugs based on the molecular pathology report from the surgery.