Glioblastoma is a type of rare brain cancer that originates in the brain or spinal cord. Glioblastoma can occur at any age but tend to be more common in older adults that are male. This type of cancer can be aggressive with poor prognosis at time of diagnosis. Common symptoms include headaches, seizures, cognitive decline, and neurological deficits. Diagnosis typically involves imaging tests, such as MRI, and a biopsy to confirm the presence of glioblastoma cells in the brain tissue.
The American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) states guidelines for the current standard of care in the management of brain tumors which emphasize a comprehensive and individualized approach to treatment, as there are various patient-specific factors that may impact treatment decisions. This may include a combination of surgical intervention, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and supportive care.
Glioblastoma can be tough to treat since they are fast growing and invade brain tissue, making surgical resection of the tumor almost impossible. There is also a barrier in the brain called the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which protects the central nervous system including the brain and spinal cord. However, the BBB is tightly bound, and it’s notoriously difficult for drugs to penetrate, providing another physical and chemical barrier to treating glioblastomas.
MimiVax, a New York-based clinical-stage biotechnology company has come out with SurVaxM, a peptide vaccine conjugate that essentially activates the immune system against a molecule called survivin, which is highly expressed in glioblastoma cells. Increased survivin expression is associated with a poor prognosis of the patient’s cancer. It recognizes survivin-expressing cells as cancerous and stimulates the patient’s immune system to control tumor growth.
SurVaxM is essentially a cancer vaccine and is administered as a subcutaneous injection. In preclinical trials, it showed significant antitumor effects. SurVaxM is currently post Phase II clinical trials in adults with newly diagnosed glioblastomas, where it was administered with temozolomide, then chemoradiation and surgery. It did indeed show safety and tolerability, along with 95% of patients remaining progression free six months after diagnosis.
Currently, a randomized clinical trial is under way to see whether SurVaxM in addition to temozolomide/chemoradiation/surgery is better, equal, or worse than temozolomide treatment along with chemoradiation/surgery alone.
The results of this trial are highly anticipated, along with seeing the effects of SurVaxM administration in various other non-central-nervous-system cancers.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, ABTA, NBC News, Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol, Journal of Clinical Oncology