Cure Brain Cancer Foundation (CBCF) is pleased to share a final report from the team at Telethon Kids Institute, recipients of our 2021 Clinical Accelerator grant. Their work focused on developing a new treatment for children with aggressive brain cancers. The project involved using a unique antibody to target the DNA in cancer cells (that have been damaged by radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and then switch off the cells’ ability to repair themselves, causing the cancer cells to die.

While the team are still trying to determine how the antibody works, their studies excitedly showed that the DX-1 antibody (supplied by Patrys) improved radiotherapy in mice with brain tumours. The mice treated with the combination of antibody and radiotherapy lived longer than those treated with radiotherapy by itself.

Currently, the team are developing a plan for the translation of DX-1 into the clinic to treat patients with brain cancer (including those with high-grade gliomas). This is an exciting development that we hope will generate increased interest in antibody therapies and their potential in brain cancer.