MGC Pharmaceuticals (MXC ) said its in-vitro research study program into the use of cannabinoids in the treatment of aggressive glioblastoma brain cancer has been expanded.
The European based bio-pharma firm said its ongoing pre-clinical research program into Glioblastoma Multiforme ('GBM'), has ‘significantly progressed’ and will now expand to explore the use of nanotechnology in relation to the most effective treatment delivery systems.
GBM is the most aggressive and, to date, therapeutically resistant primary brain tumour. According to The American Association of Neurological Surgeons, GBM has an incidence of two to three per 100,000 adults per year, and accounts for 52% of all primary brain tumors.
MGC is conducting the program in collaboration with the National Institute of Biology ('NIB') and the Neurosurgery Department at the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia, testing cannabinoids both alone and in combination with chemotherapeutic temozolomide.
The research program is focused on testing cannabinoid formulations on fresh glioblastoma tumour tissues, obtained from patients after surgical removal of the tumour, to determine the optimal cannabinoid preparation for the effective treatment of the remaining cancer.
The objective of the in-vitro research is to develop novel formulations to define the clinical protocols for clinical trials for the treatment of high-grade brain tumours with cannabinoids.
The expanded study will now include testing for the effect of both cannabidiol ('CBD') and cannabigerol ('CBG') on tumour cells when delivered via a nanoparticle delivery system.
MGC said successful test results would ‘potentially lead to a significant breakthrough in the treatment of brain cancer through oral administration, rather than invasive treatments.’
To date, results from an in-vitro study completed in November 2020 demonstrate that CBG exerts ‘a superior effect’ in impairing the major hallmarks of glioblastoma progression, such as fast proliferation and invasion, and particularly enhancing glioblastoma cell death.
It said CBG can destroy therapy-resistant glioblastoma stem cells, which are the root of cancer development and extremely resistant to various treatments of this lethal cancer.
Since its admission to the London Stock Exchange which occurred on 9 February 2021, shares in MGC Pharmaceuticals have more than tripled. The Company raised £6.5m on its debut and then soared from an opening price of 1.475p per share to 4.25p leaving the company with a market cap of over £75m. Shares in MGC, which is the first medicinal cannabis company to be listed on the LSE, jumped 16.62% to 4.525p this morning.
CBD is demonstrated to inhibit tumour viability and CBG is more efficient in setting off the cascade of biological processes leading to the apoptosis of glioblastoma cells. Meanwhile, results also found that combined cannabinoids were advantageous vs single treatment.
Recent investigations have revealed that efficient formulations of CBD and CBG treatment effectively trigger a cytotoxic effect on GBM cell viability, leading to their killing effects.
The Company said the most important findings have been ‘novel findings’ that CBG, the non-psycho-active cannabinoid has been poorly investigated so far as it has already shown in low doses to inhibit the invasion of GBM cells and GBM stem cells (GSC). The latter are known as the root of the disease progression and highly resistant to standard therapies.
MGC Pharma said its research team reports that for the first time, increasing concentrations of CBG is ‘efficiently setting off the cascade of biological processes leading to the apoptosis of the GSCs, opening new avenues for adjuvant therapies for this fatal type of tumour.’
The results to date for MGC Pharma's Glioblastoma CBD/CBG study have completed an independent peer review and have been recently published in the MDPI Medical Journal, which it said provides ‘strong credibility and validation to the research being undertaken.’
The following steps of the ongoing program will involve MGC Pharma and NIB initiating the testing of its CBD and CBG in nano emulsifying formulations on human tissue in-vitro.
The aim of the project is to reveal the effect of purified natural substances - cannabinoids CBD and CBG in nano-emulsion and their combinations for the treatment of high-grade brain tumours (glioblastoma) in-vitro with the goal of in-vivo translation to clinics.
The preclinical study will be focused on defining the most efficient cannabinoid nano-emulsion preparations of CBD and CBG that are likely to benefit each individual patient that differs in glioblastoma subtypes, as well as most relevant cannabinoid receptors.
The new study will soon commence the recruitment of new patients with grade IV glioblastomas who will be divided into subcategories to receive a personalised treatment plan.
Speaking on the research to date, Roby Zomer, Co-founder and Managing Director of MGC, said, “Prior to its publication, all research is required to undergo a peer review process where other medical researchers scrutinise the research procedures and subsequent findings.”
He added, “Importantly, we are now moving forward with our next stage research which will now incorporate new and innovative drug delivery systems. This is a very significant step for our research program and IP, as we look to transform and advance the way brain tumours are treated."
In a recent investor webinar hosted by Vox Markets & Turner Pope Investments, MGC Pharmaceuticals discussed their product timeline and the wider cannabinoid market.
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