The Angiogenesis Foundation Reports New Protocol for Stopping a Deadly Brain Tumor Using Repurposed Drugs
Using a combinatorial approach of existing FDA-approved drugs, the researchers effectively stopped glioblastoma (GBM) progression in lab studies
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Angiogenesis Foundation presented data today at the AACR Annual Meeting 2019 in Atlanta, GA, from new laboratory research demonstrating the effective halting of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell growth and progression using a combination of approved drugs (CAD). Currently, there are no curative treatments for glioblastoma, the type of brain cancer that took the lives of Senator John McCain and Senator Ted Kennedy. Using a combination of generic drugs (antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, metabolic, and endocrine) targeting diverse tumor pathways, the Angiogenesis Foundation's research team discovered a novel way to halt GBM cell invasion in a collagen matrix and induce cell death in vitro. The results were more potent than the effects of standard GBM chemotherapy using temozolomide (TMZ). In fact, the CAD approach could amplify TMZ's anti-GBM effects when tested as a combination. These findings set the stage for further research that may evolve into a protocol for treating patients with GBM, and could be adjunctive to standard therapies.
"Glioblastoma is one of the worst cancers imaginable. Even with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, this cancer is nearly unstoppable, with a median survival for people diagnosed with GBM of only 12-15 months," said Dr. Vincent Li, Scientific Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation. "Our research shows there may be a new path forward for people with GBM. Targeting multiple tumor pathways with generic drugs could be a safe and cost-effective approach worthy of further investigation."
In addition to Dr. Vincent Li, the research team included Dr. William Li, Dr. Maximilian Ackermann, Dr. Anne Régnier-Vigouroux, and Dr. Liliana Oancea-Castillo from the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
The Angiogenesis Foundation's mission is to improve global health by addressing common denominators of disease, with a focus on angiogenesis, or new blood vessel growth, and other health related processes in the body. Angiogenesis impacts more than 70 diseases including cancers. To learn more about the Angiogenesis Foundation, please visit http://www.angio.org.
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Established in 1994, the Angiogenesis Foundation's mission is to improve global health by advancing angiogenesis-based medicine, diet, and lifestyle. For more information, visit angio.org.
SOURCE The Angiogenesis Foundation
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