On September 8, 2022 Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP) portfolio company Oleolive, Inc. reported that it has been awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase 1 $400,000 research grant from the National Cancer Institute for "Chemosensitization of Glioblastoma by Propentofylline (Press release, Oleolive, SEP 8, 2022, View Source [SID1234619296])." Drs. Nhan Tran and Joseph Loftus, investigators at Mayo Clinic and experts in Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), collaborated with Oleolive on the proposal.
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Propentofylline (PPF) was originally tested in multiple clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease but, although shown to be safe and effective, was not brought to the commercial market. PPF is considered a repurposed drug, defined as a drug developed for one indication and repositioned to treat another, in this case GBM. Repurposed drugs require less money and time for development and overall costs much less compared to research and development of new drugs.
GBM is a brain cancer with no effective therapeutics that claims the lives of over 15,000 Americans each year. GBM has poor clinical outcomes due to therapy-resistant tumor cells leading to recurrence; therefore, therapeutic strategies that enhance tumor cell chemosensitivity are essential for improved patient outcomes. This project will evaluate if PPF increases sensitization of GBM tumor cells to chemotherapy. This research could lead to a therapeutic strategy to extend survival for GBM patients beyond the current average of 1.25 years.