Preclinical efficacy of ribavirin in SHH and group 3 medulloblastoma

Effect of anti-COVID-19 drugs on patients with cancer

The clinical treatment of patients with cancer who are also diagnosed with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been a challenging issue since the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the effects of commonly used drugs for treating COVID-19 in patients with cancer. Hence, this review aims to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of patients with cancer to minimize the losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we also focused on the relationship between COVID-19, commonly used drugs for treating COVID-19, and cancer. We specifically investigated the effect of these drugs on tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. The potential mechanisms of action of these drugs were discussed and evaluated. We found that most of these drugs showed inhibitory effects on tumors, and only in a few cases had cancer-promoting effects. Furthermore, inappropriate usage of these drugs may lead to irreversible kidney and heart damage. Finally, we have clarified the use of different drugs, which can provide useful guidance for the clinical treatment of cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

The Neurodevelopmental and Molecular Landscape of Medulloblastoma Subgroups: Current Targets and the Potential for Combined Therapies

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. Despite the use of multiple therapeutic approaches consisting of surgical resection, craniospinal irradiation, and multiagent chemotherapy, the prognosis of many patients with medulloblastoma remains dismal. Additionally, the high doses of radiation and the chemotherapeutic agents used are associated with significant short- and long-term complications and adverse effects, most notably neurocognitive delay. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development and clinical integration of targeted treatment regimens with greater efficacy and superior safety profiles. Since the adoption of the molecular-based classification of medulloblastoma into wingless (WNT) activated, sonic hedgehog (SHH) activated, group 3, and group 4, research efforts have been directed towards unraveling the genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profiles of each subtype. This review aims to delineate the progress that has been made in characterizing the neurodevelopmental and molecular features of each medulloblastoma subtype. It further delves into the implications that these characteristics have on the development of subgroup-specific targeted therapeutic agents. Furthermore, it highlights potential future avenues for combining multiple agents or strategies in order to obtain augmented effects and evade the development of treatment resistance in tumors.

A neurodevelopmental epigenetic programme mediated by SMARCD3-DAB1-Reelin signalling is hijacked to promote medulloblastoma metastasis

How abnormal neurodevelopment relates to the tumour aggressiveness of medulloblastoma (MB), the most common type of embryonal tumour, remains elusive. Here we uncover a neurodevelopmental epigenomic programme that is hijacked to induce MB metastatic dissemination. Unsupervised analyses of integrated publicly available datasets with our newly generated data reveal that SMARCD3 (also known as BAF60C) regulates Disabled 1 (DAB1)-mediated Reelin signalling in Purkinje cell migration and MB metastasis by orchestrating cis-regulatory elements at the DAB1 locus. We further identify that a core set of transcription factors, enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) and nuclear factor I X (NFIX), coordinates with the cis-regulatory elements at the SMARCD3 locus to form a chromatin hub to control SMARCD3 expression in the developing cerebellum and in metastatic MB. Increased SMARCD3 expression activates Reelin-DAB1-mediated Src kinase signalling, which results in a MB response to Src inhibition. These data deepen our understanding of how neurodevelopmental programming influences disease progression and provide a potential therapeutic option for patients with MB.

New Developments in the Pathogenesis, Therapeutic Targeting, and Treatment of Pediatric Medulloblastoma

Pediatric medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common pediatric brain tumor with varying prognoses depending on the distinct molecular subtype. The four consensus subgroups are WNT, Sonic hedgehog (SHH), Group 3, and Group 4, which underpin the current 2021 WHO classification of MB. While the field of knowledge for treating this disease has significantly advanced over the past decade, a deeper understanding is still required to improve the clinical outcomes for pediatric patients, who are often vulnerable in ways that adult patients are not. Here, we discuss how recent insights into the pathogenesis of pediatric medulloblastoma have directed current and future research. This review highlights new developments in understanding the four molecular subtypes’ pathophysiology, epigenetics, and therapeutic targeting. In addition, we provide a focused discussion of recent developments in imaging, and in the surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy of pediatric medulloblastoma. The article includes a brief explanation of healthcare costs associated with medulloblastoma treatment.

Drug Repurposing for Glioblastoma and Current Advances in Drug Delivery-A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults with an extremely poor prognosis. There is a dire need to develop effective therapeutics to overcome the intrinsic and acquired resistance of GBM to current therapies. The process of developing novel anti-neoplastic drugs from bench to bedside can incur significant time and cost implications. Drug repurposing may help overcome that obstacle. A wide range of drugs that are already approved for clinical use for the treatment of other diseases have been found to target GBM-associated signaling pathways and are being repurposed for the treatment of GBM. While many of these drugs are undergoing pre-clinical testing, others are in the clinical trial phase. Since GBM stem cells (GSCs) have been found to be a main source of tumor recurrence after surgery, recent studies have also investigated whether repurposed drugs that target these pathways can be used to counteract tumor recurrence. While several repurposed drugs have shown significant efficacy against GBM cell lines, the blood–brain barrier (BBB) can limit the ability of many of these drugs to reach intratumoral therapeutic concentrations. Localized intracranial delivery may help to achieve therapeutic drug concentration at the site of tumor resection while simultaneously minimizing toxicity and side effects. These strategies can be considered while repurposing drugs for GBM.