Sound waves and immunotherapy join forces against deadly brain tumor
NCT ID NCT07385846
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase study tests whether combining focused ultrasound with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab is safe and feasible for people with recurrent glioblastoma, a severe brain cancer. Only 8 participants with a specific genetic feature (mismatch repair deficiency) will be enrolled. The goal is to see if this approach can help control the disease, not cure it.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
-
About 8 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Jun 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patient previously diagnosed with WHO grade 4 IDH-wildtype GBM, determined through genomic and/or histopathological analysis. 2. Prior treatment for GBM with surgical resection and standard of care TMZ and radiation therapy. 3. Patient who has undergone repeat surgery (including biopsy or resection) for rGBM. 4. MMR deficiencies confirmed per standard of care immunohistochemical analysis or Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of the patient's surgical sample from the time of initial GBM diagnosis or recurrence. 5. Area of sonication using the NaviFUS platform is \>30 mm from the skull surface, assessed on the Investigator's review of the screening MRI. 6. Age ≥18 years. 7. Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) \>70. 8. Adequate organ and marrow function: Leukocytes ≥2,500/mm3 Absolute Neutrophil Count ≥1,500/mm3 Absolute Lymphocyte Count ≥800/mm3 Platelets ≥100,000/mm3 Hemoglobin ≥8 g/dL 9. Negative serum or urine pregnancy test in a female patient of childbearing potential. 10. Patient or a legally-authorized representative must provide study-specific informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Multifocal or leptomeningeal disease observed at the time of GBM recurrence. 2. Patient for whom the repeat surgical cavity is ≤30 mm from the skull surface or otherwise not reasonably accessible for sonification using the NaviFUS platform, assessed on screening MRI. 3. Patient with a prior or concurrent malignancy that is deemed to be clinically significant in the context of rGBM. 4. Patient receiving concurrent treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, other investigational agent, or live vaccine administered within 14 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment. 5. Prior treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor agent. 6. Period of less than 28 days from the time of the patient's receipt of other systemic anti-cancer therapies to the proposed date of first trial treatment. 7. Treatment with systemic corticosteroids at an increased dose or dose of ≥10 mg of prednisone (or equivalent) daily within the 5 days prior to starting trial treatment, or treatment with systemic corticosteroids for other indications. 8. Patient with a history of organ transplant or autoimmune disorder requiring active immunosuppression. 9. Patient with current recreational drug use or a history of substance use disorder. 10. Patient with an active concurrent comorbidity that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would pose a safety concern for the patient's participation in this clinical trial.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Glioblastoma are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Show contact details
Enter your email to view the contact information for this study.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Study contacts
-
Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
-
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45219, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a trio of repurposed drugs shrink recurrent brain tumors?
- Can an existing drug boost bevacizumab against recurrent brain cancer?
- One extra radiation dose after standard brain cancer therapy: can it boost the immune system?
- Radioactive tracer lights up Oxygen-Starved brain tumors
- Can a common virus vaccine help fight brain cancer?
- Radioactive tiles target brain tumors in frail patients