A new drug for the treatment of an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma has shown promising results in a recent study.

The drug, called ICT-107, targets cancer stem cells, which are resistant to traditional chemotherapy and are often the cause of glioblastoma recurrences. The phase 2 clinical trial showed that patients who received ICT-107 had a longer time to progression and a higher overall survival rate than those who received standard treatment.

The challenge of treating glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, with a median survival rate of 15 months. The standard treatment for glioblastoma is surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy, but even with this treatment, the cancer often recurs.

One reason for this is that glioblastoma contains cancer stem cells, which are believed to be responsible for the cancer’s ability to resist treatment and grow back. These cancer stem cells are characterized by their ability to self-renew and differentiate into various cell types, allowing them to evade the immune system and continue growing.

What is ICT-107?

ICT-107 is a drug that targets cancer stem cells found in glioblastoma. It is made up of dendritic cells, which are immune cells that are able to activate and recruit other cells to fight cancer.

To create ICT-107, dendritic cells are harvested from the patient’s blood and exposed to six different antigens that are found on glioblastoma stem cells. The activated dendritic cells are then injected back into the patient, where they can activate the immune system to attack the glioblastoma stem cells.

The results of the study

The phase 2 clinical trial for ICT-107 involved 124 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma who had undergone surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible.

Half of the patients received standard treatment, which included radiation and chemotherapy with the drug temozolomide, while the other half received ICT-107 in addition to standard treatment. The results showed that patients who received ICT-107 had a longer time to progression, with a median progression-free survival rate of 16.9 months compared to 12.1 months in the standard treatment group.

In addition, patients who received ICT-107 had a higher overall survival rate, with a median survival rate of 27.2 months compared to 20.4 months in the standard treatment group. These results are encouraging, as glioblastoma is known to be a very difficult cancer to treat.

What’s next for ICT-107?

While the results of the phase 2 clinical trial for ICT-107 are promising, more research is needed before the drug can be made widely available.

The next step will be a large-scale, randomized phase 3 clinical trial, which will involve a larger group of patients and compare the effectiveness of ICT-107 to standard treatment. If the phase 3 trial is successful, ICT-107 has the potential to become an important new treatment option for glioblastoma.

Other treatments for glioblastoma

In addition to ICT-107, there are several other treatments that are being studied for the treatment of glioblastoma. These include:.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors: Drugs that block proteins on cancer cells that prevent the immune system from attacking them
Tumor-treating fields: A device that delivers low-intensity electric fields to disrupt cell division in cancer cells
Targeted therapies: Drugs that target specific mutations that are found in glioblastoma cells

The importance of clinical trials

Clinical trials are a vital part of the development of new cancer treatments. They allow researchers to test new drugs and therapies on real patients to determine their effectiveness and safety.

Without clinical trials, it would be difficult to know whether a new treatment is truly effective, and patients would be left with limited treatment options. It’s important for cancer patients to consider participating in clinical trials, as they can provide access to potentially life-saving treatments and help advance the field of cancer research.

Conclusion

The development of ICT-107 is an exciting development in the field of glioblastoma treatment.

By targeting cancer stem cells, ICT-107 has shown promise in improving survival rates and progression-free survival for patients with this aggressive form of brain cancer. While more research is needed before ICT-107 can become widely available, the results of the phase 2 clinical trial offer hope for a brighter future for glioblastoma patients.