Latest News

• 4th Annual Tumor Takedown Event        

  The annual Tumor Takedown fundraiser is taking place again in Cape Coral, Florida this Saturday, July 19th at 5pm ET. This event is put on by Zachary and Morgan, brain tumor survivors and thrivers, to raise local awareness for brain cancer. All proceeds go to the Musella Foundation for brain tumor research! For more info, click here. 

  
  
• Weill Cornell Medicine Research Team Awarded Grant to Advance Promising Brain Cancer Therapy Using Focused Ultrasound and ThermoDox        

  We gave a grant last year for a preclinical project exploring heat-sensitive liposomes (Thermodox®) combined with laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT). This year, we awarded a $50,000 grant to Dr. Brice Martin to at Weill Cornell to investigate low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) + Thermadox® for diffuse midline glioma (DMG). The special heat-activated chemotherapy formulation of Thermodox® helps bypass the blood brain barrier and deliver targeted therapy directly to the tumor site. This approach could significantly improve the safety and effectiveness of chemotherapy, and our support will help build the preclinical groundwork needed to move this technology into human trials for GBM and DMG.

  
  
• A New Adjuvant Treatment for Glioblastoma Using Aprepitant, Vortioxetine, Roflumilast and Olanzapine: The AVRO Regimen        

  This is an interesting drug combination strategy aimed at enhancing standard of care for glioblastoma (GBM) by targeting multiple pathways involved in tumor growth. Like the earlier CUSP9v3 protocol, AVRO proposed repurposing well-tolerated, FDA-approved non-oncology drugs based on preclinical evidence of GBM inhibition. The article mentions potential interaction between levetiracetam (Keppra) and vortioxetine/olanzapine and thus mentions lacosamide (Vimpat) may be a preferable seizure prophylaxis for patients under the AVRO regime. 

  
  
• New MRI approach maps brain metabolism, revealing disease signatures        

  Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) has been explored for decades in brain tumor imaging, but clinical adoption has been limited due to long scan times and low signal clarity. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently reported a novel MRSI technique that combines ultrafast data acquisition with machine learning-powered image reconstruction. Their method reduces whole-brain scan time to just 12.5 minutes while significantly enhancing image resolution and metabolite signal quality—making metabolic imaging much more feasible in clinical workflows. Other leading centers, including Cornell, Emory, and the University of Miami, are also advancing MRSI technology, and we hope to see this translate to improved routine clinical care for glioma patients.

   

  
  
• Glioblastoma Caregiver Virtual Discussion        

  The University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee is hosting a paid virtual discussion for caregivers of individuals that have been diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM). The purpose of the meeting is to specifically focus on the opinions caregivers have on a clinical trial to offer a new surgical intervention in order to improve quality of life after diagnosis. It will be a one-time, 2-hour virtual meeting via Zoom, and participants will be compensated with a $66 e-gift card. To fill out an interest survey for the discussion, click here!