Researchers at the Norton Healthcare Brain Tumor Center are conducting a clinical trial to determine whether a promising new immunotherapy drug, SurVaxM, improves survivability of glioblastoma.
SurVaxM targets survivin, a protein in 95% of glioblastomas and many other cancers. The immunotherapeutic is designed to trigger the patient’s immune system to attack cancer cells with survivin.
Kaylyn D. Sinicrope, M.D., neuro-oncologist with the Brain Tumor Center, is the local principal investigator on the phase 2 trial (NCT05163080), which is currently enrolling patients.
The trial is open to newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients. SurVaxM combined with standard-of-care temozolomide chemotherapy is compared with temozolomide treatment alone.
“We still have much to learn, but the early indications that SurVaxM can improve overall survival of newly diagnosed glioblastoma are exciting,” Dr. Sinicrope said. “This option is available now to patients who qualify.”
The study aims to discover what effects, both good and bad, the combination has on patients and whether SurVaxM can trigger the immune system to go after cancer cells.
In a previous study of 63 patients, survival nearly doubled compared to the standard of care.
The randomized, placebo-controlled study underway at the Brain Tumor Center will administer temozolomide plus shots of SurVaxM to some patients and the regular temozolomide regimen plus a shot of a placebo to others. Injections will be repeated at regular intervals.
The Norton Healthcare Brain Tumor Center is a collaboration of Norton Neuroscience Institute and Norton Cancer Institute.
Refer a patient
To refer a patient to the Norton Healthcare Brain Tumor Center for this or another clinical trial, visit Norton EpicLink and open an order for a Clinical Trial.
Current Brain Tumor Center clinical trials and studies
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