Latest News

• Copayment assistance program now open!        

  We're excited to share that the Musella Foundation Copayment Assistance Program is now OPEN to new patients again! After being temporarily closed to new applicants, we are once again accepting applications and helping patients access needed treatments. 
  
  What's new? 
  - We've added the drug Modeyso to our list of covered treatments
  - We've increased the income eligibility guidelines, allowing more families to qualify for assistance
  

  Cancer is hard enough — worrying about treatment costs shouldn't be part of the burden. Our goal is to reduce financial barriers so patients can focus on their care. For more information and to apply, go to braintumorcopays.org.

   

  
  
  
  
• New Publication Highlights GB13 as a Promising Therapeutic Strategy for DIPG        

  Another encouraging update on GB13, a targeted immunotoxin that selectively kills brain tumor cells that express the IL13Ra2 receptor, which is found on many DIPG tumors but is largely absent from normal brain tissue.

  In a newly published preclinical animal study, GB13 significantly reduced tumor size and improved survival across multiple DIPG models. The results were especially compelling when GB13 was given before and alongside radiation therapy. Notably, durable (and in some cases curative) responses were observed in human tumor–derived DIPG models. Researchers found that GB13 interferes with tumor cells’ ability to repair radiation-induced DNA damage, making radiation more effective at killing cancer cells. This radiosensitizing effect was consistent across multiple patient-derived DIPG cell lines and validated in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent mouse models. Together, these findings strongly support Targepeutics’ planned IND submission and upcoming Phase I clinical trial, with an expansion Phase II component, which will evaluate GB13 in children with DIPG.

  As we’ve shared previously, The Musella Foundation helped support the early research behind GB13 more than a decade ago. It’s exciting to see this work continue to move steadily toward the clinic!

  
  
• Non-invasive Approach Predicts Chemotherapy Response in Glioblastoma        

  We previously hosted a webinar on Carthera's SonoCloud trial, which uses a skull-implantable ultrasound device to open the blood-brain barrier so chemotherapy can better reach glioblastoma (GBM) tumors. Now, a new published study has shown that an investigational liquid biopsy tool (a blood test that detects cancer material circulating in the bloodstream) was able to detect tumor-derived vesicles released after paclitaxel chemotherapy treatment and that the detection of these vesicles correlated with survival. While more prospective validation is needed, these early findings give hope that doctors may soon have a real-time way to see whether this therapy is working.