04/04/2026
We are extremely proud to announce the publication of our new paper in Oncoscience:
"Selective blood–brain barrier pe*******on and tumor targeting of nitrosylcobalamin in glioblastoma: Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and synergistic activity with TRAIL and temozolomide."
https://www.oncoscience.us/article/654/
Glioblastoma remains one of the clearest unmet needs in oncology. For decades, patients have faced a treatment landscape built on the same basic backbone of surgery and radiation, with temozolomide later added as the major systemic standard. Yet despite this approach, recurrence remains common and durable clinical progress has been limited. That reality continues to highlight the urgent need for better, more selective therapies for GBM.
In this study, nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl) demonstrated selective blood-brain barrier pe*******on, tumor targeting in glioblastoma tissue, and synergistic antiproliferative activity with both TRAIL and temozolomide in glioblastoma models. These findings support continued investigation of cobalamin-based nitric oxide therapeutics as a novel strategy for GBM.
This publication is deeply personal. The study is dedicated to the memory of Joseph Bauer, beloved father of the senior author, whose courageous battle with GBM and untimely passing following unsuccessful treatment with radiation and temozolomide served as the inspiration for this work. His experience underscores why the search for more effective targeted therapies is so important.
We are grateful to the research staff and technical teams who supported the in vivo and in vitro studies, with special appreciation to the laboratory of Michael A. Vogelbaum, MD, PhD (now at Moffitt Cancer Center) for conducting the animal experiments, Daniel J. Linder, MD, PhD (Cleveland Clinic) for supporting the evaluation of nitrosylcobalamin as an anticancer agent, and Avi Ashkenazi (Genentech) for the generous gift of TRAIL. We also acknowledge the foundational contributions of Dr. Daniel J. Smith (The University of Akron), Dr. Bellur Seetharam (Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin), and Dr. Harry Hogenkamp (University of Minnesota Twin Cities), whose early work helped lay the groundwork for these discoveries.
For far too long, glioblastoma patients and families have faced a standard of care defined more by endurance than by meaningful therapeutic progress. We hope this work helps advance the development of new targeted options for patients confronting this devastating disease.
