UCI Health clinical trial holds promise for treatment of deadly glioblastoma
October 17, 2019
IN THE NEWS: More than 2 years ago, Amanda Johnson, 32, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive, incurable brain cancer. Recently, news reporters from Fox News, KFI radio and KNX radio interviewed Johnson and UCI Health neuro-oncologist Dr. Daniela Bota. who enrolled the Orange County resident in a clinical trial that shows promise in preventing the recurrence of this tumor.
“A lot of drugs we use for cancers like breast or lung are not effective on brain cancer because they cannot cross the [blood] brain barrier,” Bota, medcal director of the UCI Health Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program, told Fox News. “Marizomib can target the cells in the tumor that are responsible for the tumor growth [which] are resistant to classic chemotherapy and radiation but [are] exceptionally sensitive to Marizomib.”
For nearly two years, Johnson has received the infusions three times a month, and at this point, her tumor is so small that it is no longer measurable.
“I’m getting back into writing again,” Johnson told Fox News. “I’ve been working really hard … I feel more alive.”
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