Better treatments for glioblastoma
Official title: Center of Innovation for Brain Tumor Therapeutics
Funded at Mayo Clinic Rochester · NIH-11189635 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are developing ways to make radiation and chemotherapy work better for people with glioblastoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,203,578 |
| NIH project number | 5U19CA264362-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11189635 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a diagnosis of glioblastoma — especially those with newly diagnosed or recurrent disease who can receive radiation, chemotherapy, or enroll in trials at participating centers.
✕Less likely to help
People with other types of brain tumors, patients unable to undergo radiation or chemotherapy, or those not eligible for trials at Mayo Clinic or collaborators may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This project brings together doctors and scientists to create new treatment strategies for glioblastoma using lab studies, animal models, and clinical expertise. The team is focusing on how tumor cells repair DNA and testing drugs that block those repair pathways alongside radiation or chemotherapy to increase tumor cell kill. They study drug distribution, tumor heterogeneity, and resistant tumor cell populations to design approaches that reach and affect the most treatment-resistant areas. Promising findings will be translated toward clinical testing at Mayo Clinic and partner sites.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make standard therapies more effective against glioblastoma and potentially extend survival or delay tumor recurrence.
How similar studies have gone: Some early-phase and preclinical studies combining DNA-repair inhibitors with radiation or chemotherapy have shown promise, but effective new therapies for glioblastoma remain limited, so this program builds on promising leads while aiming for stronger clinical translation.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sarkaria, Jann N. — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Sarkaria, Jann N.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Multi-center pediatric brain and spinal cord tumor treatment network
Testing early-phase experimental treatments for children and young adults with brain and spinal cord tumors.
-
Safer T cell engagers for pediatric and adult brain tumors
A potential new treatment using T cell engaging proteins to help fight brain tumors in both children and adults.
-
Non-invasive MR‑guided brain hyperthermia to boost brain cancer treatment
A new MR‑compatible device heats brain tumors non‑invasively to help radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy work better for brain cancer.
-
Advanced brain imaging after proton therapy in kids with brain tumors
This project looks at how advanced 7T MRI imaging can show long-term blood vessel and brain changes in children who have had proton radiotherapy for brain tumors.
-
Rapid CEST MRI for Brain Tumor Imaging at 3T
A high-tech MRI method is being developed to better distinguish brain tumors from treatment effects in patients using faster, more accurate scans.
-
AI-powered tool to diagnose and predict muscle disease in child brain-tumor survivors
A pediatric brain-tumor survivor-focused project will use AI on routine imaging to identify muscle loss and forecast related health problems.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.