Researchers have found that the antidepressant vortioxetine shows promise in combating glioblastoma, a deadly brain tumor. This drug, already approved by the FDA, can cross the blood-brain barrier, making it a potential addition to current treatments for glioblastoma.
Key Points:
Vortioxetine's Effectiveness: The drug has been effective in lab tests and in mice, showing potential to fight tumor cells.
Screening Platform: Researchers at ETH Zurich used a special platform to identify vortioxetine as a leading candidate for glioblastoma treatment.
Clinical Trials: Plans are underway to test vortioxetine in clinical trials with glioblastoma patients. This will assess its effectiveness when combined with standard therapies like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
The study presents a groundbreaking approach to glioblastoma treatment by identifying repurposable neuroactive drugs, particularly vortioxetine, which demonstrate significant anti-glioblastoma activity. Utilizing high-throughput screening and advanced machine learning techniques, the researchers have pinpointed the neurophysiological vulnerabilities of glioblastoma cells.
Vortioxetine, a known antidepressant that can cross the blood-brain barrier, emerged as a potent candidate, showing robust efficacy in preclinical models and synergy with standard glioblastoma therapies.
These promising findings lay the groundwork for clinical trials to further evaluate vortioxetine's therapeutic potential in glioblastoma, offering new hope in the fight against this aggressive cancer. By leveraging the intersection of neurobiology and oncology, this study paves the way for innovative treatment strategies that could significantly improve patient outcomes.
Source: Lee, S., Weiss, T., Bühler, M. et al. High-throughput identification of repurposable neuroactive drugs with potent anti-glioblastoma activity. Nat Med (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03224-y
Comentários