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Sponsored by Plus Therapeutics®
For recurrent glioblastoma (GBM), effective therapies have been scarce. With more than 98% of drugs unable to enter the brain at sufficient concentrations due to the blood-brain barrier, patients continue to have a significant unmet need.
Today, about half of all GBM patients undergo external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), in which lower radiation doses are administered externally, but are not targeted to the tumor. This process is more likely to damage healthy tissue and cause negative side effects.
In the face of these medical challenges, Plus Therapeutics is breaking down barriers with an innovative approach of improved drug formulation and targeted delivery—setting the stage for a more effective and accurate treatment option.
Rhenium (186Re) obisbemeda, a precise and powerful therapy
Enter rhenium (186Re) obisbemeda, a new injectable radiotherapy specifically formulated to effectively deliver highly targeted, high-dose radiation in a safe and convenient way.
During a single four-day inpatient hospital treatment, a minimally invasive surgery places small catheters that enable infusion of rhenium (186Re) obisbemeda directly to the tumor, bypassing the blood-brain-barrier that other treatments cannot.
This technique allows for enhanced drug distribution, achieving up to 20 times greater absorbed radiation targeted to destroy the tumor than what is possible with EBRT.
In parallel, the unique formulation of rhenium (186Re) obisbemeda is designed to optimize potent drug delivery and retention.
To put it simply, Plus Therapeutics has engineered a new way to make a direct, powerful hit on the tumor without damaging the healthy cells that surround it.
Accessing Radiotherapeutics via Clinical Trials
For adult patients with recurrent GBM, a new clinical trial may offer access to emerging solutions and novel therapies unavailable elsewhere.
Although somewhat early in its development, Plus Therapeutics’ ReSPECT-GBM clinical trial, a National Institutes of Health-funded study, has yielded impressive data to date. In the Phase 1 stage, 24 patients with recurrent GBM were treated with rhenium (186Re) obisbemeda. Results presented at the recent Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting indicate this therapy is safe and well-tolerated, and it has demonstrated early efficacy signals, including a statistically significant median overall survival of 12.3 months when > 100 Gray of radiation is administered. This is compelling compared to the overall survival of approximately 9 to 10 months when treated with the current standard of care.
The ReSPECT-GBM Phase 2 clinical trial is actively enrolling patients at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Over the next year, the trial will expand to other sites across the United States.
If you believe this clinical trial might be a good fit for you or a loved one, talk to your doctor and learn more online.
Jessie Schlacks
Jessie is Managing Editor of the bi-monthly e-newsletter MindMatters. Submit story ideas or questions to jschlacks@abta.org.
