New life for an old therapy: ELTD1 as a downstream target of angiogenesis

Glioblastoma (GBM) is frequently diagnosed—and the most malignant—brain tumor in adults. The current standard of care for GBM is maximal surgical resection followed by radiation and temozolomide.1 However, drug resistance is rapid and tumor recurrence is inevitable. Other therapeutic avenues are being actively studied as even with our advancements in tumor sequencing and genetic profiling, the median overall survival of patients diagnosed with GBM remains at ~14-16 months.2 One avenue that has attracted attention for therapeutic potential is to improve the efficacy of targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway, where currently a monoclonal antibody against VEGF—Bevacizumab—is FDA approved for GBM patients.3 As tumors grow more rapidly than their surrounding normal tissue, they need to form new blood vessels to obtain the nutrients they need from the body to grow.4 However, it is commonly observed that these quickly created blood vessels are leaky and improperly formed, which can prevent proper drug profusion.4 Nevertheless, while Bevacizumab is FDA approved, GBM in most of the patients progressed after their initial response to VEGF therapy,5 and VEGF is needed for normal angiogenesis and vessel homeostasis.4 Therefore, more research is needed to find tumor-specific, non-homeostatic, angiogenesis interventions.