A Phase 2 interventional study of Pharmacoscopy 1.0 in Brain (Nervous System) Cancers, Glioblastoma and Glioma, sponsored by University of Zurich. Recruiting at 3 sites in Switzerland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-21.
Sponsored by University of Zurich · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
Advanced technology of ex vivo drug profiling referred to as pharmacoscopy may allow to identify novel drugs for the treatment of glioblastoma and other refractory brain tumors at an individual patient level. This personalized therapeutic approach was developed and validated in pre-clinical glioma models. With the current research proposal, we seek to establish feasibility for a clinical interventional trial for patients with refractory primary brain tumors that is based on pharmacoscopy-guided selection of treatment.
The study is supported by an unrestricted grant from Anti Cancer Fund.
425 studies on the registry are indexed under Neurologic Manifestations; 82 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 48 across 269 interventional studies indexed under Neurologic Manifestations.
Browse Neurologic Manifestations studies →University of Zurich is the lead sponsor of 1,049 studies on the registry; 133 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.
Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.
The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.
A line of therapy is one course of treatment, which may combine several drugs. First-line is the first course given; second-line follows when that stops working or is not tolerated.
“Two prior lines” means two courses that count separately under the study’s rules — not simply two drugs. Ask the study team if you are unsure how yours are counted.
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Relapsed and refractory
Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Metastases
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Karnofsky performance status (KPS)
A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.
Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Life expectancy
The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Line of therapy
A line of therapy is one course of treatment, which may combine several drugs. First-line is the first course given; second-line follows when that stops working or is not tolerated.
“Two prior lines” means two courses that count separately under the study’s rules — not simply two drugs. Ask the study team if you are unsure how yours are counted.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Investigational drug or device
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Therapeutic decisions will be taken considering the results of the pharmacoscopy analysis, and also standard histopathological and molecular analysis, including next generation sequencing, molecular profiling analysis as available, characteristics of the patient and previous treatments received.
Device: Pharmacoscopy 1.0
The intervention is the submission of freshly obtained surgical material to ex vivo drug profiling which we term pharmacoscopy (PCY). The performance study is interventional as the test results shall influence patient management decisions and/or may be used to guide treatment.
To demonstrate the overall feasibility of pharmacoscopy-guided treatment for patients with refractory primary brain tumors
The feasibility is defined as: 80% success rate of generating a pharmacoscopy result within 10 days of surgery (32/40 patients), 50% success rate of placing patients on selected drug based on pharmacoscopy (16/32 patients).
Time frame: 2 months
To explore the efficacy of pharmacoscopy-guided treatment - 1
(1) Response rate
Time frame: 12 months
To explore the efficacy of pharmacoscopy guided treatment - 2
duration of response
Time frame: 12 months
To explore the efficacy of pharmascopy guided treatment - 3
progression-free survival
Time frame: 12 months
To explore the efficacy of pharmascopy guided treatment - 4
overall survival
Time frame: 24 months
To confirm the safety and tolerability of treatment selected based on pharmacoscopy - 1
Neurological function (NANO scale, Nayak et al. 2017)
Time frame: 12 months
To confirm the safety and tolerability of treatment selected based on pharmacoscopy -2
Karnofsky performance status (score 0-100)
Time frame: 12 months
To confirm the safety and tolerability of treatment selected based on pharmacoscopy - 3
Steroid use (dose in mg equivalent dexamethasone)
Time frame: 12 months
Quality of life -1
EORTC QLQ C30 auto-questionnaire
Time frame: 12 months
Quality of life - 2
EORTC BN20 autoquestionnaire
Time frame: 12 months
Translational research
prospective assessement of the value of liquid biopsy in parallel of imaging assessment
Time frame: 12 months
Plan to share: Undecided
Started Sep 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2028, 24 months after the start.
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