The RETREAT trial being conducted by the University of Plymouth builds on earlier research the institute had done
Drugs used in AIDS patients have for the first time being tried in brain tumour patients. The results could .be the final proof of concept for an earlier research in the matter conducted by the University of Plymouth.
Scientists at the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth anti-retroviral medications, Ritonavir and Lopinavir to treat neurofibromatosis 2 which is a genetic condition that causes tumours to develop in the coverings of the brain (meninges). The two medications had also been tried, in the early days of the COVID19 pandemic, on the SARS-COV2 virus without much success.
The RETREAT clinical trial, led by Professor Oliver Hanemann, is expanding on research by Dr Sylwia Ammoun and Professor Hanemann which showed the repurposed drugs reduced tumour growth and survival in the tumours. Talking about the yearlong trial, Professor Oliver Hanemann, Director of the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth, said: “This could the first step towards a systemic treatment for tumours related to NF2, both for patients who have inherited NF2 and developed multiple tumours, as well as patients who have a one-off NF2 mutation and have developed a tumour as a result. If results are positive and the research develops into a larger clinical trial, it would be the most significant change for patients with this condition, for whom there is no effective treatment.”
Neurofibromatosis 2 is a rare condition affecting one in 50,000 people and usually affects young adults. Dr Karen Noble, Director of Research, Policy and Innovation at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Brain Tumour Research is committed to funding research that will provide better outcomes for patients, so we are delighted that research undertaken at our Centre of Excellence has progressed into a clinical trial, bringing hope to patients with NF2 and NF2-related tumours. What is great about using repurposed drugs such as Ritonavir and Lopinavir, is that they have already been shown to have a strong safety profile in healthy people and those treated for HIV, which means that they can more quickly be translated from the laboratory to patients.”
