Brain Tumour Ireland awards €100,000 to RCSI-led research project aiming to improve outcomes for patients with aggressive brain cancer

A research team, led by Prof Annette Byrne Dept of Physiology and Medical Physics, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has been awarded €100,000 over two years from Brain Tumour Ireland (www.braintumourireland.com) to investigate a new precision medicine approach for glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and aggressive form of adult brain cancer. The study will explore whether the targeted cancer drug lenvatinib can be repurposed to treat specific biological subtypes of GBM identified through pioneering research conducted previously by the RCSI group.

The multidisciplinary project brings together researchers and clinicians from RCSI, Beaumont Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork and Cork University Hospital. Led by Professor Annette Byrne, Head of the RCSI Precision Cancer Medicine Group (www.precisioncancermedicinegroup.com), the team includes Mr Kieron Sweeney, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Beaumont Hospital; Professor Jack Gleeson, Associate Professor of Oncology, University College Cork and Consultant Medical Oncologist, Cork University Hospital; Professor Eduardo Ruiz-Hernandez, Ussher Associate Professor in Pharmacy, Trinity College Dublin; and Dr Kate Connor, Assistant Professor in Physiology, Trinity College Dublin.

Despite intensive treatment involving surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, survival for patients with GBM remains poor, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches. The RCSI team previously developed a tumour microenvironment (TME)-based classification system that divides GBM into biologically distinct subtypes and may help identify patients most likely to benefit from particular treatments.

The newly funded project will focus on ‘TME-Low’ and ‘TME-Medium’ tumours, which together account for approximately 60% of GBM cases. Preliminary  data suggest that these subtypes may be particularly sensitive to lenvatinib, a drug already approved for use in several other cancers. However, while lenvatinib has shown promise in other cancer types, its effectiveness in brain tumours is limited by the difficulty of delivering sufficient amounts of the drug into the brain, across the blood-brain barrier.

To overcome this challenge, the team will utilise an innovative biodegradable hydrogel, developed by Professor Ruiz Hernandez, which can be placed directly into the surgical cavity following tumour removal. This allows sustained local release of lenvatinib where it is most needed and bypasses the blood-brain barrier, one of the major obstacles limiting the effectiveness of many cancer therapies in brain tumours.

The project will employ advanced preclinical models designed to reflect the biological diversity of GBM, generating the evidence needed to support future biomarker-guided Phase II clinical trials.

Professor Byrne said:

"GBM remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat, and patients urgently need better options. This project builds directly on our discovery that these tumours can be divided into distinct biological subtypes and seeks to translate those findings into improved ‘precision treatments’. We are very grateful to Brain Tumour Ireland for supporting this research which we hope will generate the preclinical evidence needed to support new Phase II clinical trials for GBM patients”

Fiona Keegan, CEO of Brain Tumour Ireland, said:

"We are delighted to support this important research through our Brain Tumour Ireland Research Fund. Professor Byrne and her colleagues have made significant contributions to our understanding of GBM biology, and this project builds on that strong foundation by exploring a novel precision medicine approach with clear translational potential. We are proud to continue supporting this team as they work towards developing better treatment options and improving outcomes for people affected by brain tumours in Ireland."