Our approach has three key advantages over other therapeutic approaches currently under investigation:

 

NO COMPENSATORY MECHANISM

Glioma cells are highly adaptive and generally respond to the inhibition of one oncogenic pathway by upregulating other oncogenic pathways, to compensate for the targeted actions of the drug. As a result, many of these drugs are simply not effective. But without being able to produce much energy or raw materials, cancer cells will be unable to divide and grow the tumor. With no compensatory mechanism, the cancer cells are unlikely to adapt as they do with other therapeutic interventions.

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EXCELLENT PHARMACOLOGICAL PROFILE

Many drugs, including a large variety of small-molecule inhibitors, are not able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, even with the advantage of distorted vasculature in the tumor environment. The pharmaceutical ingredients in our proposed drug combination cross the blood-brain barrier effectively to reach even distantly-invasive cancer cells. This excellent pharmacological profile offers an opportunity to deliver this drug combination pre-clinically and clinically with a simple oral dosing format.

 

LESS RISKY AND MORE AFFORDABLE FOR PATIENTS

Many therapeutic interventions that are currently undergoing clinical trial for glioma are biologicals, including antibody-based or cell-based therapies. These products present challenges in manufacturing, storage, distribution, and administration, especially with autologous treatments that are tailored to a single patient. The proposed therapy presents a highly affordable option – one that can be manufactured at scale without the contamination risks as biological products. The differences in both price point and consumer risk would make our small molecule combination therapy a desirable option for patients, even if other products get to market.