Clinical trial Recruiting at 1 site Phase 1 Interventional Ages 18 to 80

Butterfly glioblastoma: test adding 5-ALA PoMA with LIDU ultrasound to standard care

Official title: A Phase 1 Clinical Trial Evaluating the Safety and Tolerability of Bilateral Hemispheric 5-ALA-Mediated Sonodynamic Therapy Using the LIDU System Before Standard Radiochemotherapy and During Adjuvant Temozolomide in Patients With Histologically Proven Newly Diagnosed Butterfly Glioma

Run by Alpheus Medical, Inc. · NCT07862647 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This early-phase study tests whether adding 5-ALA–mediated activation with LIDU ultrasound is safe and tolerable for adults with newly diagnosed butterfly glioblastoma, before or during standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

More Glioblastoma trials

Quick facts

PhasePhase 1
Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years to 80 Years
SexAll
Enrollment30 (estimated)
SponsorAlpheus Medical, Inc.
Industry-sponsored
Drugs / interventionschemotherapy, radiation
Locations1 site (Buffalo, New York)
StatusRecruiting
StartedOctober 29, 2026
Main results expectedOctober 30, 2027
Study endsMarch 30, 2028
Registry record updatedOctober 9, 2026
Trial IDNCT07862647 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Adults aged 18-80 with newly diagnosed, IDH-wildtype butterfly glioblastoma, who have not started TMZ/RT and have a WHO performance status of 0–2.

Probably not a fit

Patients with poor performance status, non-butterfly GBM patterns, IDH-mutant tumors, or those who have already begun standard therapy may not benefit from this approach.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This Phase 1 trial evaluates the safety and tolerability of a novel approach that uses 5-ALA–mediated Porphyrin Metabolite Activation (PoMA) in combination with LIDU ultrasound for patients with bihemispheric glioblastoma. Participants may be enrolled before starting standard of care chemoradiation or during adjuvant therapy. The study focuses on early-dose safety signals and tolerability rather than efficacy outcomes. Eligible patients are adults with IDH-wildtype, newly diagnosed butterfly GBM, with good performance status and no prior TMZ/RT. The intervention consists of 5-ALA administration and PoMA activation guided by LIDU ultrasound, in addition to standard treatment per local practice.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could offer a new safety-proven adjunct to improve treatment delivery for butterfly GBM and potentially influence outcomes when combined with standard therapy.

How similar studies have gone: Prior work in or related to PoMA and ultrasound-assisted tumor activation has shown safety signals in early stages, but this specific combination in butterfly GBM is novel.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patient, or the patient's legally authorized representative, must provide informed consent, stating understanding of the procedures and investigational nature of the study treatment, and willingness to comply with study requirements
2. ≥ 18 and ≤ 80 years of age
3. WHO performance status of ≤ 2 at screening
4. Newly diagnosed histologically proven glioblastoma (WHO criteria 2021), with absence of IDH mutation demonstrated by negative IDH1 R132H staining on immunohistochemistry or equivalent molecular testing.
5. Patients must have a radiographic butterfly glioma phenotype on MRI, defined as a contiguous enhancing glioma involving both cerebral hemispheres with midline extension through the corpus callosum (genu, body, and/or splenium) or other commissural pathway. Patients must not have started TMZ/RT. Bilateral involvement must reflect continuous tumor spread across the midline and not merely bilateral edema, mass effect, multifocal non-contiguous disease, or separate bilateral lesions. Note:

   patients must have undergone prior biopsy or decompressive surgery with histopathologic confirmation of butterfly glioma.
6. Adequate bone marrow and organ function, defined by the following laboratory values:

   1. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1000 cells/mm3
   2. Platelet count ≥ 50,000 cells/mm3
   3. Hemoglobin (Hgb) ≥ 8 g/dL
   4. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
   5. Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN (unless gilbert's syndrome, then patients may be eligible if total serum bilirubin is ≤ 3.0 x ULN or direct bilirubin is ≤ 1.5 x ULN)
   6. Creatinine clearance (CrCl) as estimated by Cockcroft-Gault equation of ≥ 50 mL/min
7. Adequate coagulation function defined as PT (prothrombin time)/PTT (partial thromboplastin time) defined as either results within normal institutional values or not considered clinically significant \<1.5 x ULN.
8. Non-pregnant, non-lactating females who are postmenopausal, surgically sterile (bilateral tubal ligation with surgery at least 6 weeks prior to study initiation or hysterectomy), or who agree to use effective contraceptive methods as defined by the protocol during the study and for 30 days after the last investigational treatment, see Appendix 1. Postmenopausal is defined as at least 12 months natural spontaneous amenorrhea and a serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) concentration ≥ 40 IU/L, or at least 6 weeks following surgical menopause (bilateral oophorectomy). See Appendix 1, females on HRT and whose menopausal status is in doubt will be required to use one of the nonestrogen hormonal highly effective contraception methods if they wish to continue their HRT during the study. Otherwise, they must discontinue HRT to allow confirmation of postmenopausal status before study enrollment.
9. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) pregnancy test within 7 days prior to first 5-ALA administration
10. Male patients must be surgically sterile (i.e., \> 3 months post-vasectomy) or willing to use a highly effective double-barrier contraception method (e.g., male condom with diaphragm or male condom with cervical cap) for the duration of the study and for at least 30 days following SDT treatment. Male patients must not donate sperm from the time of study drug dosing until 30 days following SDT treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Any component of the tumor in the infratentorial location (cerebellar or brainstem tumors are excluded)
2. Commencing TMZ + RT per SOC before the first SDT treatment
3. Leptomeningeal disease
4. Corticosteroid use \> 4 mg/day of dexamethasone (or equivalent), steroid dose should be stable or decreasing for ≥1 week prior to randomization
5. Inability to undergo MRI or receive gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents
6. Hypersensitivity to 5-ALA or porphyrins
7. Patient head size \> 16.6 cm in breadth (max width of head, above the ears) and \> 21.3 cm in length (front to back) to ensure fit within the helmet transducer array.
8. Skull voids/defects \> 10 mm diameter if defect is open, or \> 14 mm if defect is covered with titanium burr hole cover, titanium mesh, or similar repair hardware. Note, Longeviti Neuro Solutions or other sonolucent implants should be treated as open defects and therefore may not exceed 10 mm in diameter.
9. Hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke (including transient ischemic attacks) and central nervous system bleeding in the preceding 6 months that are not related to glioma surgery. History of prior intratumoral bleeding prior to screening is not an exclusion criterion; however, patients with a history of prior intratumoral or intracranial bleeding will undergo a non contrast head CT to exclude acute bleeding.
10. Has any history of glioma, a concurrent malignancy, or malignancy within 3 years of randomization, unless definitive therapy is completed, with the exception of basal or squamous cell skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or breast that has completed curative therapy
11. Patients who have clinically significant cerebral edema requiring urgent intervention (e.g., surgery, unstable or escalating high doses of steroids).
12. Patients with rapid clinical deterioration that, in the opinion of the investigator, is likely to worsen during the first cycle of treatment.
13. Acute or chronic types of porphyria.
14. Gastrointestinal disorder that negatively affects absorption.
15. Known active hepatitis B or C (Note: testing is not required).
16. Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (Note: testing is not required).
17. Participation in another interventional clinical trial for butterfly glioma/GBM. (Observational studies are allowable)
18. Unable to avoid phototoxic drugs (e.g., St. John's wort, griseofulvin, thiazide diuretics, sulfonylureas, phenothiazines, sulfonamides, quinolones, and tetracyclines) for 24 hours prior to and following 5-ALA administration.
19. Any other concurrent severe or uncontrolled concomitant medical condition that could compromise participation in the study (e.g., clinically significant pulmonary disease, cardiac disease, clinically significant psychiatric or neurological disorder, active or uncontrolled infection).
20. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
21. Patients with a condition the Investigator believes would interfere with the ability to comply with study instructions, or that might confound the interpretation of the study results or put the patient at undue risk.

Where it's running

  • Dent Neurologic Institute
    Buffalo, New York, United States
    Recruiting

Study contacts

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How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.