Photo courtesy Tim Bauer

Nature Medicine has published a peer-reviewed paper detailing the experimental glioblastoma cancer treatment developed by Professor Georgina Long AO, Medical Director of  Melanoma Institute Australia, paving the way for a clinical trial to be conducted by researchers at The Brain Cancer Centre in Melbourne.

Professor Long used her expertise in immunotherapy and drew on melanoma science to devise, lead and administer the treatment, the first documented use of neoadjuvant triple immunotherapy in glioblastoma.

The treatment involved a combination of three checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies (drugs that activate the immune system, instructing T-cells to kill tumour cells) administered prior to surgery. When resected, the tumour treated with immunotherapy showed increased diversity, abundance and activation of immune cells, suggesting a strong immune response.

An Australian-led international clinical trial will scientifically investigate the efficacy of the approach within a large cohort of eligible glioblastoma patients and could commence within a year.

“While we are buoyed by the results of this experimental treatment so far, a clinical trial in a large group of patients would need to happen before anyone could consider it a possible breakthrough,” said Prof Long, who has also secured drug access for the trial.

“I am delighted to be handing the baton to Dr Jim Whittle, a leading Australian neuro-oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Co-Head of Research Strategy at The Brain Cancer Centre to commence a broader scientific study to scientifically determine if – and how – this process might work in treating glioblastoma.”

People with glioblastoma, a highly aggressive and lethal brain cancer, have an average survival time of 12 to 18 months, with only 25 per cent of patients surviving more than one year and less than five per cent surviving more than three years.

Commencement of recruitment for the clinical trial will be announced by The Brain Cancer Centre at a later date and will be limited to eligible patients.

Read full media release from The University of Sydney here.