New brain cancer treatment on trial

A new treatment that shows potential in the lab will go on trial for treating the brain cancer glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is the most common primary adult brain cancer and is almost always fatal, killing about 1000 Australians every year. Treatment options for patients are limited.

The research, conducted by researchers at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) and Monash University, revolves around an antibody that targets a protein on the surface of tumour cells.

“The protein - EphA3 - was discovered by QIMR Berghofer scientist Professor Andrew Boyd in 1992,” said Dr Bryan Day who led the research at QIMR Berghofer with Dr Brett Stringer.

Boyd also created an antibody that specifically targets cancer cells which express EphA3.

The antibody has been adapted for human use by US biotech KaloBios Pharmaceuticals to create the KB004 clinical drug.

A Phase II clinical trial of KB004 is underway in leukaemia patients after a successful Phase I study.

QIMR Berghofer and LICR will conduct a Phase I/II clinical trial for patients with recurrent glioblastoma - funded with $500,000 by the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation over the next three years.

“The study will determine how patients tolerate the drug and how their tumours respond,” Day said.

“There is also a very important imaging component with brain scans to be performed to detect the borders of the tumours and determine how much of the drug crosses from the blood into the brain to reach the tumour.

The trial is expected to commence in 2015.