Werner Rosenthal Prize for promising therapeutic approach for malignant brain tumours
Dr Catena Kresbach, a member of Prof. Ulrich Schüller's research group, has been awarded the Werner Rosenthal Prize by the German Society for Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy (DGNN) for publishing an innovative treatment method for children with malignant brain tumour medulloblastoma. The method was developed over several years at the Research Institute Children's Cancer Center Hamburg.
The Werner Rosenthal Prize is awarded annually by the DGNN to young scientists for the best publication of the past year. Dr Catena Kresbach was awarded the prize for her publication in ‘Neuro-Oncology’ on a promising treatment approach for medulloblastomas. Medulloblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumours in children. In some tumours, an important signalling pathway is highly upregulated in the tumour cells – the so-called Sonic Hedgehog signalling pathway (SHH). In her study, the Hamburg-based doctor tested the targeted intraventricular administration of specific SHH inhibitors, which thus inhibit tumour growth.
Intraventricular application means that a drug is administered directly into the ventricles of the brain, which are fluid-filled cavities. This method allows the drug to act directly in the brain without affecting the entire body.
Tumour regression without severe side effects
The study, conducted in a mouse model, shows that intraventricular application of SHH inhibitors can cause partial or complete regression of the tumour. The researchers avoided the severe side effects on bone growth that occur when the drug is administered systemically. In addition, the treatment led to a significantly longer symptom-free survival time in mice.
‘This innovative approach could provide a new, less harmful treatment option for children with medulloblastoma,’ says Kresbach.
Direct administration of chemotherapy drugs into the brain via a small access point under the skin is already standard practice in the treatment of medulloblastoma in children. The Hamburg researchers, therefore, believe that it would be possible to use SHH inhibitors in addition to this treatment. This could significantly improve the effectiveness of the therapy while also reducing the need for other highly stressful treatments, such as radiation of the entire brain and spinal cord.
Original publication: Kresbach C, Holst L, Schoof M, et al. Intraventricular SHH inhibition proves efficient in the SHH medulloblastoma mouse model and prevents systemic side effects. Neuro Oncol. 2024;26(4):609-622. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noad191
