Precise attack on tumor remnants
Targeting brain tumors: new drug candidate in clinical trial
clinical trials are a milestone in the development of safe and effective drugs and therapies. An antibody developed by Helmholtz Munich is now entering a phase 1 clinical trial. Together with the radiopharmaceutical company ITM Isotope Technologies Munich and Münster University Hospital, researchers hope to improve the treatment of patients with brain tumors.
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Glioblastomas are the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumors. Surgical removal of the tumor and additional radiation and chemotherapy usually do not result in a complete cure. The life expectancy of patients is severely limited and the need for better treatment options is high. A new combination of an antibody that specifically detects cancer cells together with a radionuclide raises the hopes of Reinhard Zeidler, researcher at Helmholtz Munich and LMU Klinikum: “We believe that we can use this antibody to better treat glioblastomas and extend the life expectancy of those affected.”
Precise attack on tumor remnants
The promising antibody is the result of many years of basic research. “We could not have developed this antibody to this point without a great deal of perseverance,” Zeidler says. “The reason it is so well suited for cancer therapy is that it can distinguish tumor cells from healthy cells much more precisely than chemotherapy, for example. Treatment therefore promises significantly fewer side effects.” Combined with a radionuclide from the radiopharmaceutical biotech company ITM, which destroys the targeted cancer cells with its radiation, the new drug candidate is entering a clinical trial conducted by Münster University Hospital and led by Prof. Walter Stummer. “Our goal is to eliminate completely any remaining cancer cells that could not be removed or destroyed with classical treatment,” Zeidler explains. In this way, the drug should prevent the tumor from re-growing or at least delay this process.
Launch of trials in German hospitals
In addition to Münster University Hospital, the university hospitals in Essen, Cologne and Wurzburg are offering treatments as part of this clinical trial. Patient recruitment for the study is currently ongoing.
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Topic world Antibodies
Antibodies are specialized molecules of our immune system that can specifically recognize and neutralize pathogens or foreign substances. Antibody research in biotech and pharma has recognized this natural defense potential and is working intensively to make it therapeutically useful. From monoclonal antibodies used against cancer or autoimmune diseases to antibody-drug conjugates that specifically transport drugs to disease cells - the possibilities are enormous
