Kintara Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: KTRA) has announced a multi-year research grant from Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) and Cancer Foundation Luxembourg to Dr. Anna Golebiewska, who is co-leading the NORLUX Neuro-Oncology lab with Prof Simone Niclou at Luxembourg Institute of Health.
FNR and Cancer Foundation of Luxembourg support oncology research
The FNR is Luxembourg’s primary source of funding for research. The Cancer Foundation Luxembourg is committed to patient care and oncology research by giving cancer patients with information on how to prevent, screen for, and live with cancer. The two organizations collaborate to sponsor great cancer research projects. The money will go toward Dr. Golebiewska’s study into the mechanism of VAL-083’s effectiveness in treating glioblastoma (GBM). Dr. Golebiewska is a molecular and cellular biologist who has worked on brain tumor research focusing on the biology of GBM with a particular interest in cancer progression, plasticity, and the tumor microenvironment.
Alongside co-investigator Dr. Petr Nazarov, Dr. Golebiewska’s project titled, “Deconvolution of heterogeneity in the Glioblastoma cellular ecosystem for understanding treatment resistance and improving patient stratification (DIOMEDES)” depends on complementary expertise in GBM biology and computational techniques for the deconvolution of complicated biological systems relates with the disease. The researchers want to uncover pathways that form treatment resistance in GBM by integrating state-of-the-art preclinical models, transcriptome analysis at the bulk and single-cell level, and strong deconvolution approaches. In their GBM patient-derived orthotopic xenografts, they will analyze transcriptome alterations after therapy with Temozolomide (TMZ) and VAL-083 (PDOXs). The investigation of transcriptome changes towards refractory states at the time of treatment will be possible thanks to the direct treatment of PDOXs.
Financial aid to support VAL-083 research
Chief Scientific Officer Kintara Dennis Brown said, “The recognition and financial support from this esteemed organization to support VAL-083’s research in Dr. Golebiewska’s laboratory is extremely exciting as it will provide important data to optimize the clinical use of this first-in-class small-molecule chemotherapeutic. In addition, the findings from this research will help elucidate potential therapeutic targets for innovative combination treatment strategies that involve VAL-083 and, importantly, further advance the opportunity to increase therapeutic precision when treating GBM patients.”
