Meningiomas are tumors that originate from the meninges, the protective layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The development of effective drug treatments for recurrent and treatment-refractory meningiomas has been challenged and limited by a variety of factors. Alfa Cytology is committed to pioneering new therapeutic approaches for meningioma treatment for our clients.
Introduction to Meningioma
The meninges are the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord and a meningioma is a tumor that develops from the meninges. Meningiomas account for approximately 27% of primary brain tumors and are very common tumors of this type. Most meningiomas (90%) are classified as benign tumors, with the remaining 10% being atypical or malignant. In many cases, benign meningiomas grow slowly. This means that depending on the location of the meningioma, it may have reached a relatively large size before it causes symptoms.
Fig.1 Typical mutations by WHO classification and anatomical location. (Al-Rashed M., et al., 2020)
Therapeutic Development for Meningioma
The mainstay of meningioma treatment is a combination of radiotherapy and surgery, but suffers from low efficacy, short response times to treatment, lack of uniform response criteria, and a limited role for systemic therapy. As with other primary and metastatic brain tumors, the future of immune-based therapeutic approaches to meningiomas remains promising.
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Targets |
NCT |
Therapeutics |
Phase |
| Chemotherapy |
NCT03071874 |
AZD2014 |
|
| NCT03631953 |
Trametinib |
|
| NCT04501705 |
Apatinib Mesylate |
|
| NCT02933736 |
Ribociclib |
|
| NCT05130866 |
AR-42 |
|
| Biological Therapy |
NCT03279692 |
Pembrolizumab |
|
| NCT04728568 |
Sintilimab |
|
| NCT03173950 |
Nivolumab |
|
Our Services
At Alfa Cytology, we offer a comprehensive range of services designed to facilitate CNS lymphoma diagnostics and therapy development. Our team provides extensive support throughout the drug development process, from initial screening of compounds to detailed pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies.
Therapeutics Development
Case Study - Meningioma Xenograft Model
Model Introduction
The intracranial malignant meningioma xenograft model provides a clinically relevant platform for evaluating novel therapeutic approaches for this aggressive brain tumor. Malignant meningiomas (WHO Grade III) have poor prognosis with limited treatment options beyond surgery and radiation, and no FDA-approved chemotherapeutic regimens exist. This orthotopic model recapitulates key histopathological features of human disease and enables evaluation of diverse therapeutic modalities, including targeted agents, immunotherapies, and radiation-based combinations.
Model Information
- Model: Meningioma Xenograft Model
- Animal: Nude Mice
- Weight: 18-20 g
Model Construction
Intracranial meningioma models were established by stereotaxic implantation of 1 × 105 cells/μL KT21MG1 cells into the skull base of female athymic nude mice. Tumor growth was monitored by bioluminescence imaging.
Fig. 2 Workflow of malignant meningioma intracranial xenograft model establishment and treatment regimen. (Source: Alfa Cytology)
In Vivo Efficacy Evaluation
This study employed the established intracranial malignant meningioma xenograft model to systematically evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy and mechanistic effects of drug A combined with radiation.
- Drug A Monotherapy: Drug A alone demonstrated significant tumor growth inhibition and increased median survival by 59% compared to control.
- Radiation Monotherapy: Radiation alone also inhibited tumor growth and increased median survival compared to control, with moderate effects on apoptosis and proliferation markers.
- Drug A + Radiation Combination Therapy: The combination therapy resulted in superior anti-tumor efficacy with 105% increased median survival compared to control, and significantly improved survival versus either monotherapy.
Fig. 3 Evaluation of in vivo therapeutic efficacy in a KT21-MG1 intracranial meningioma xenograft model. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. (Source: Alfa Cytology)
Contact Us
With advances in genomics and the identification of driver mutations, Alfa Cytology has helped researchers in this field to progressively advance their research into targeted drugs. Considering the research on new drugs, identifying and understanding new signaling pathways and factors will hopefully provide ideas for drug development. Please feel free to contact us to advance trials and accelerate the development of new therapies for meningioma patients.
Reference
- Al-Rashed M.; et al. (2020). Recent Advances in Meningioma Immunogenetics[J]. Front Oncol. 8, 9: 1472.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
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