The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and Manhasset is collaborating with an Australian drug company to develop medications for various brain cancers, the North Shore-LIJ Health System announced Friday.
Feinstein’s research, partnered with Novogen’s drug discovery program, is seeking new treatments for glioblastoma and medulloblastoma, two common brain tumors, the health system said in a news release.
“This collaboration between the Feinstein Institute and Novogen is critical to supporting the discovery of new treatments for patients who suffer from life-threatening bran cancer,” said Dr. John A. Boockvar, who co-directs Feinstein’s Brain Tumor Biotech Center. “Patients who suffer from brain cancer don’t have optimal therapies to turn to. By offering them new, improved treatments, we will give hope to patients who face a devastating disease.”
One such drug, called TRXE-009, is already in development to treat multiple forms of cancer – including glioblastoma and medulloblastoma – and will be studied at Feinstein using clinical trials.
“We are confident that we have found the drug that can successfully treat cancers arising in the brain as well as cancers that spread to the brain from elsewhere,” said Graham Kelly, Novogen’s chief executive officer. “The ability of a TRXE-009 to kill brain cancer stem-like cells gives us particular confidence that we can finally kill off the root cause of any cancer within the brain.”
Health system officials said the drug has proven to be effective in both adults and children, and the two sides plan to develop other “drug candidates” to try and increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy treatments.
Radiotherapy has been known to produce many side effects, particularly in children, but serves as a standard therapy practice to treat brain cancers as an alternative to chemotherapy, whose benefits, LIJ officials said, are often limited.
