Among the most aggressive and difficult to treat cancers in existence, glioblastomas continue to challenge the medical community. But a team of researchers at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute is pursuing a bold new direction in glioblastoma treatment research. With support from a grant through the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund, these scientists are engineering a virus designed to destroy brain cancer from within.<\/p>\n
From the moment of diagnosis, the average glioblastoma patient has approximately one year to live. The standard course of treatment, which includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, extends survival by only about two months on average. That margin, while significant to clinicians, represents an enormous unmet need for patients and their families.<\/p>\n
The fundamental challenge lies in the biology of the disease. Glioblastoma cells are not confined to a single mass. They migrate and conceal themselves in small niches throughout the brain tissue, making complete surgical removal virtually impossible. Even after what appears to be a successful tumor resection, cancer cells can re-emerge in new locations. This unpredictable behavior makes the disease particularly resistant to conventional approaches.<\/p>\n
Compounding the surgical challenge is a severe pharmacological limitation. Of all available chemotherapy agents, only one, temozolomide (TMZ), has demonstrated efficacy against glioblastoma. And even that single option becomes unreliable over time, as the cancer cells rapidly develop resistance to it. Developing an entirely new drug takes an average of 14 years, a timeline that offers no relief to patients living with this diagnosis today.<\/p>\n
Rather than waiting for a novel drug to emerge, researchers Zhi Sheng and Robert Gourdie began exploring whether existing compounds could be repurposed and combined in new ways. Their focus landed on ACT1, a peptide originally developed in Gourdie’s laboratory to improve electrical communication between cardiac cells.<\/p>\n
ACT1 works by preventing two specific proteins, connexin 43 and ZO1, from binding together. When these proteins bind, they trigger a cascade that allows cellular contents to leak out, contributing to inflammation and tissue damage. In prior studies, ACT1 demonstrated the ability to cut wound healing time in half by reducing the swelling and scar formation associated with that process.<\/p>\n
The connection to brain cancer emerged when separate research identified connexin 43 as a key factor in how glioblastoma cells become desensitized to TMZ. Sheng and Gourdie hypothesized that applying ACT1 to the cancer cells might restore their sensitivity to the drug. When they tested the combination in an animal glioblastoma model, the results were striking. Tumors treated with ACT1 and TMZ together were significantly smaller than those treated with either agent alone. In some cases, the tumors were no longer visible at all.<\/p>\n
The challenge that followed was delivery. ACT1 is short lived in the body and must be administered frequently to maintain its effects. Getting it to the right place, at the right time, consistently, required a more sophisticated mechanism.<\/p>\n
The team’s solution is viral therapy. Research assistant professor Samy Lamouille is leading the engineering effort, designing a virus capable of carrying ACT1 directly to glioblastoma cells. The process begins with a plasmid, a small self replicating DNA molecule, into which Lamouille splices new genetic sequences. One critical addition is a receptor for cytokine interleukin 13, a molecule that is highly expressed in glioblastoma cells. This receptor allows the engineered virus to selectively target brain cancer cells rather than healthy tissue.<\/p>\n
Once inside the cancer cells, the virus introduces genetic instructions that cause the cells to produce ACT1 themselves. Combined with TMZ administration, this makes the tumor cells vulnerable to destruction in a way that standard chemotherapy alone cannot achieve.<\/p>\n
The team is also developing a backup delivery method. A biodegradable wafer loaded with both ACT1 and TMZ could be placed directly into the surgical cavity after tumor resection. The wafer would release the compounds gradually, targeting residual cancer cells over time and working to overcome their resistance to TMZ before it develops.<\/p>\n
Once laboratory testing confirms the safety and efficacy of both delivery approaches, the researchers plan to move into clinical trials with dogs. Glioblastoma affects dogs at roughly the same rate as humans, making veterinary trials a meaningful and ethical pathway toward human application. Dogs diagnosed with terminal brain cancer would receive the experimental treatment at no cost as part of the trial.<\/p>\n
Beyond developing a viable treatment, the research team is also working to understand the molecular mechanisms behind TMZ resistance itself. Identifying exactly how and why glioblastoma cells develop that resistance could open additional therapeutic pathways and support a new generation of glioblastoma treatment research across the broader oncology community.<\/p>\n
For sponsors and CROs supporting oncology research, advances like this one illustrate the expanding frontier of viable trial targets. FOMAT conducts Phase I through Phase IV clinical studies across a broad range of therapeutic areas. Learn more about our physician investigator network<\/a> or explore our active studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n