Brain and central nervous system cancers continue to be a cause of mortality and morbidity for which treatment may involve surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy and demand not only a multidisciplinary team but also considerable financial resources and advanced technology. Moreover, regardless of the chosen approach to treating malignant brain tumors, patients have to deal with a long string of physical, mental, and social effects and contend with a reduced quality of life. There is hope, however, and purpose-driven companies like Tactical Therapeutics aim to offer that hope to the hundreds of thousands of people living with brain tumors, including glioblastoma.
An aggressive and fast-growing type of cancer that is widely considered the most common malignant brain tumor among adults, glioblastoma has been the object of interest of the experts at the helm of Tactical Therapeutics for years now. Responsible for killing Senator Ted Kennedy, Beau Biden, and Senator John McCain, it remains primarily untreatable. In the face of the burden brought about by this killer, founder and lead scientist Dr. Rashida Karmali and her team have made it their mission to provide a solution.
Tactical Therapeutics’ signature oral, safe, and brain-penetrating drug, Carboxyamidotriazole Orotate (CTO), has emerged as an option for patients with glioblastoma, both recurrent (rGBM) and newly diagnosed (nGBM). In a phase IB trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the drug showed heartening efficacy and safety in patients with very advanced diseases.
“In 27 recurrent GBM patients, one complete and six partial responses were observed in patients who had been in several previous trials, including patients previously exposed to bevacizumab, who are the most challenging patients to treat,” said Dr. Antonio Omuro, a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “Radiographic responses are rarely seen in glioblastoma trials. Therefore these are really encouraging results. In addition, in fifteen newly diagnosed GBM, excellent overall survival was observed, and two patients remain recurrence-free at five years.”
In essence, Carboxyamidotriazole Orotate (CTO) is a patented first-in-class oral inhibitor of non-voltage dependent calcium signaling that modulates several receptor-mediated calcium-dependent signaling pathways including EGFR, MEK, RAS, HDAC, HSP90, WNT/B-catenin, Akt, ERK, VEGF, and BCr-Abl. It blocks out multiple pathways of cancer proliferation and metastasis, preventing the number one problem in cancer today – resistance and recurrence of tumors.
The potential Carboxyamidotriazole Orotate (CTO) holds cannot be ignored, which is why Tactical Therapeutics is looking forward to entering future trials. “We are excited about CTO because it has shown highly promising results in patients with glioblastoma and other malignant gliomas, which are devastating diseases,” added Dr. Antonio Omuro. “I have no question in my mind that this drug deserves further studies to confirm efficacy.”
Following the remarkable performance of Carboxyamidotriazole Orotate (CTO), Tactical Therapeutics has received the honor of presenting at the MedInvest Oncology Investor Conference on December 14 to 15 in New York. During the event, the team leading the acclaimed biopharma company is setting its eyes on interacting with world experts, leaders, and investors who all share the goal of improving the health and lives of patients with glioblastoma.
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