Two approved drugs tested with ultrasound on lab-grown brain tumor cells
Original title: Repurposing Alzheimer's and ovarian cancer drugs as sonosensitizers for glioblastoma via a positive-unlabeled learning and 3D bioprinting-based new approach methodology (NAM).
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done on cells in a lab, not in people. It is a very early step.
This was only done in tumor cells grown in a lab dish, not in people.
The short version
Researchers found that two drugs already approved for other illnesses killed more glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells in a lab dish when paired with ultrasound.
What was studied. Researchers used a computer program to pick drugs that might react to ultrasound. They then tested those drugs on U-87 MG glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells grown as small 3D clumps in the lab.
What they found. The computer picked two FDA-approved drugs. One is carboplatin, used for advanced ovarian cancer. The other is memantine hydrochloride, used for Alzheimer's disease. Adding low-intensity pulsed ultrasound to either drug killed more tumor cells than the drug alone. Both pairings did better than temozolomide, the chemotherapy drug used as standard care today. Memantine acted early, by 24 h. Carboplatin acted more slowly but strongly, by 72 h.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This is an early sign that drugs already on the market might one day be used in a new way for glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. It also shows a faster way for scientists to search for drugs worth testing. Nothing here changes treatment right now.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean these drugs treat brain tumors in people. The work was done on tumor cells grown in a lab, not in patients and not in animals. Lab cells often behave differently than a tumor in a human brain. It is not a cure, and it is not a promise of one. Human trials would have to happen first, and that takes years. Do not ask for carboplatin or memantine as a brain tumor treatment based on this study.
Source: PubMed, August 12, 2026 · Read the original
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