R21 Grant Awarded for Gliomblastoma Research

January 7, 2017

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients need personalized medicine to improve their survival. Chemotherapy alone or combined with radiation therapy and surgery can only prolong the median survival time of GBM patients to 10 months after diagnosis with a 90-100% recurrence. For recurrent GBM, current targeted treatments including anti-angiogenesis VEGF/VEGFR antibody (Avastin®), anti-EGFR/EGFRvIII antibody/vaccine, and integrin antagonist (Celingitide®) have only marginal benefits. GBM can be grouped into four subtypes Proneural, Neural, Classical and Mesenchymal GBM. Classical GBM and Mesenchymal GBM respond well to heavy chemotherapy and radiation therapy, while Proneural GBM does not respond well to this combined therapy regimen. In addition, Proneural GBM has a poor prognosis compared to the other subtypes especially for secondary Proneural GBM. Thus, new therapies targeting the Proneural GBM subtype by a novel strategy, such as CSF-1R therapy with an effective companion diagnostic, is urgently needed that will help facilitate stratification of patient selection and monitoring therapy response.