Empowered Patient Podcast AI-Powered Diagnostics and Targeted Radiotherapy for CNS Cancers with Dr. Marc Hedrick Plus Therapeutics
Dr. Marc Hedrick, President and CEO of Plus Therapeutics Inc., has expanded their focus from glioblastoma to leptomeningeal metastasis, a central nervous system cancer that is a growing challenge due to increased survival rates from primary cancers. Their highly sensitive, advanced diagnostic test, CNSide, can detect cancer cells in cerebrospinal fluid, addressing the shortcomings of imaging and outdated standard-of-care practices. Using AI and advanced data analytics, their lead drug candidate is uniquely suited for treating CNS cancers because its safety at high doses enables the precise delivery of radiation.
Marc explains, "Since we last talked and we discussed primarily the use of radiotherapeutics for the treatment of glioblastoma. We've expanded that pretty significantly into a disease called leptomeningeal metastasis. And I think we may have touched on that briefly, at least conceptually, a few years ago. But now it's really real. We've just completed a phase one trial, and we're expanding that with the goal of getting the drug approved, perhaps sooner than with glioblastoma, by focusing on leptomeningeal cancer, for which there's nothing approved. And maybe it would be a good idea to back up and explain a little bit about what that is, because there's an epidemic of it that's not commonly understood."
"So the central nervous system is a protected organ in the body. Now, I mean the brain and the spinal cord. And it's that way for a reason to keep bad things out. Things like infections, tumors, or certain chemical toxins. And that includes drugs. Only about 2% of all drugs get into the central nervous system, which is a problem from a therapeutic perspective. But there's an epidemic in terms of metastases to the brain and spinal cord. Let's call those the CNS collectively. And that's because many common tumors like breast cancer, lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, and melanoma are better controlled locally with drugs that don't have to worry about getting into the central nervous system. They just need to get into those specific organs and tissues and then exert control over the tumor where it occurred."
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