Drug Repurposing, a Fast-Track Approach to Develop Effective Treatments for Glioblastoma

Simple Summary Introducing novel and effective treatments against glioblastoma (GBM) remains an arduous journey as reflected in the negative outcome of most clinical trials. The blood-brain barrier and the tremendous heterogeneity of the disease comprise major obstacles in this process. Drug repurposing is a drug discovery approach that can accelerate the drug development timeline and identify promising candidates for GBM treatment. Obtaining insights already at preclinical stage into drug sensitivity and physicochemical properties for central nervous system (CNS) penetration of these candidates could shift research outcomes to more effective drugs for clinical investigation against GBM. Glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the most difficult tumors to treat. The mean overall survival rate of 15 months and the 5-year survival rate of 5% have not significantly changed for almost 2 decades. Despite progress in understanding the pathophysiology of the disease, no new effective treatments to combine with radiation therapy after surgical tumor debulking have become available since the introduction of temozolomide in 1999. One of the main reasons for this is the scarcity of compounds that cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and reach the brain tumor tissue in therapeutically effective concentrations. In this review, we focus on the role of the BBB and its importance in developing brain tumor treatments. Moreover, we discuss drug repurposing, a drug discovery approach to identify potential effective candidates with optimal pharmacokinetic profiles for central nervous system (CNS) penetration and that allows rapid implementation in clinical trials. Additionally, we provide an overview of repurposed candidate drug currently being investigated in GBM at the preclinical and clinical levels. Finally, we highlight the importance of phase 0 trials to confirm tumor drug exposure and we discuss emerging drug delivery technologies as an alternative route to maximize therapeutic efficacy of repurposed candidate drug.

Automated summary

Treating glioblastoma is challenging due to the blood-brain barrier and disease heterogeneity. Drug repurposing offers a potential solution by identifying promising candidates for GBM treatment and accelerating drug development.