Combining Nine Repurposed Drugs with a Current Chemotherapy Treatment in Adult Brain Cancer

Principal Investigator: Dr. Marc-Eric Halatsch

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Disease: Glioblastoma

Research Description: For decades, new experimental therapies have repeatedly failed to improve the outcome of patients relapsing after initial treatment of the brain cancer glioblastoma. The chemotherapy drug temozolomide is used for the initial treatment of these brain cancers. Dr. Halatsch and his team surveyed the research literature looking for approved non-cancer drugs that inhibit key cellular pathways in glioblastoma. Using selection criteria including low likelihood of increasing patient side effects, good quality of life maintenance and adequate clinical experience with the drug, they identified nine repurposed drugs. These drugs will be given together in combinations with low-dose, uninterrupted, daily temozolomide. The primary objective is to assess the safety and tolerability of the combination treatment in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. The secondary objectives are to evaluate overall survival, progression-free survival after six months and best tumor response.

CWR funding role: Participating funder

Completed: 2020