New Prodrug Takes Aim at Recurrent Glioblastoma

There have been many advancements in chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments for various cancers over the past decade, but the 5-year relative survival rate for glioblastoma patients is still around 10%. Since glioblastoma is a rare condition, an RO-1 grant from the FDA has been awarded to GenSpera, Inc. for its research on G-202's (mipsagargin's) efficacy in treating recurrent glioblastoma.

G-202 is a prodrug, a toxic substance made dormant by attaching a peptide that allows the toxin to be released in only those cells that express the desired characteristics. In this case, the prodrug targets cells with a high level of PSMA expression, a protein that is present in many cancerous tumors. According to Dr. Kesari, Phase II study results look promising and no serious adverse events have been observed to date.

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