HACKENSACK, N.J., Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Physicians at the
John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack Meridian Health
Hackensack University Medical Center have enrolled the first
two patients nationwide in an international phase II clinical trial
of Kazia Therapeutics's novel therapy, GDC-0084, for
glioblastoma.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of
primary brain cancer, with limited available FDA-approved
treatments and a median survival of only 15 months from diagnosis.
About 12,500 patients in the US are diagnosed with GBM each year,
including Senator John McCain, who
recently passed away from the disease.
The drug, GDC-0084, is being developed by the Australian biotech
Kazia Therapeutics Limited (ASX: KZA; NASDAQ: KZIA) as an
alternative treatment option for the two thirds of patients
resistant to the mainstay of current pharmacological treatment for
glioblastoma, temozolomide. GDC-0084 is an inhibitor of the PI3K
signaling pathway, a change in DNA thought to drive growth of up to
90 percent of GBM cases.
"Precision treatment of GBM on a DNA level, or 'targeted
therapy,' allows us to hone our attack on the tumor and minimize
impact on healthy cells," said Samuel A.
Goldlust, M.D., primary investigator and neuro-oncologist at
the John Theurer Cancer Center. "We're proud to be leading the way
in access to the most promising GBM therapies in collaboration with
other top cancer centers nationwide."
GDC-0084 was granted Orphan Drug Designation by the US Food and
Drug Administration, recognizing the drug as a potential treatment
for a rare disease with high unmet patient need.
To learn more about this trial (NCT number:
NCT03522298) and for a list of trial locations, contact
the study research staff using the contacts provided on
clinicaltrials.gov.
John Theurer Cancer Center has more than 350 ongoing clinical
trials conducted independently and in partnership with research and
pharmaceutical companies, research consortiums, patient advocacy
groups, and the National Institutes of Health. Participating in a
clinical trial allows patients to be among the first in the world
to access potentially lifesaving therapies.
For general information about clinical trials at John Theurer
Cancer Center, visit JTCancerCenter.org or call
551-996-5834.
ABOUT THE JOHN THEURER CANCER CENTER AT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical
Center is New Jersey's largest and
most comprehensive center dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment,
management, research, screenings, and preventive care as well as
survivorship of patients with all types of cancers. The 14
specialized divisions covering the complete spectrum of cancer care
have developed a close-knit team of medical, research, nursing, and
support staff with specialized expertise that translates into more
advanced, focused care for all patients. Each year, more people in
the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area turn to the John
Theurer Cancer Center for cancer care than to any other facility in
New Jersey. Housed within a
775-bed not-for-profit teaching, tertiary care, and research
hospital, the John Theurer Cancer Center provides state-of-the-art
technological advances, compassionate care, research innovations,
medical expertise, and a full range of aftercare services that
distinguish the John Theurer Cancer Center from other
facilities. www.jtcancercenter.org.
ABOUT HACKENSACK
MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading
not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most
comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in
New Jersey, offering a complete
range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing
care.
Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 16
hospitals from Bergen to
Ocean counties, which includes
three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical
Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore
University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals – Joseph M.
Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital
in Neptune; nine community
hospitals – Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center
in Red Bank, Mountainside Medical
Center in Montclair, Palisades
Medical Center in North Bergen,
Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth
Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Medical Center in
Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical
Center in Old Bridge, and Pascack
Valley Medical Center in Westwood;
and two rehabilitation hospitals – JFK Johnson Rehabilitation
Institute in Edison and Shore
Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.
Additionally, the network has more than 450 patient care
locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care
centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and
assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air
medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers,
rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice
locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000
team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in
health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of
the communities it serves.
The network's notable distinctions include having one of only
five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive
Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more
consecutive years, four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey by U.S. News and World
Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet®
recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses
Credentialing Center, recipient of the John
M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The
Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time
recipient of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For," one of the
"20 Best Workplaces in Health Care" in the nation, and the number
one "Best Place to Work for Women." The network was also named to
Becker's Healthcare's "150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2018"
list.
Hackensack Meridian Health partnered with
Seton Hall University to launch the
first private medical school in New
Jersey – Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at
Seton Hall University – in more than 50
years to address a growing shortage of physicians and dramatic
changes in health care delivery. Additionally, the network
partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer to find more cures
for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the
highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where
they need it. Hackensack Meridian Health and
Carrier Clinic, New Jersey's
oldest and most respected behavioral health provider, signed a
definitive agreement to merge.
Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of
AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading
health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in
clinical care and achieving efficiencies.
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SOURCE John Theurer Cancer Center