Combinatorial treatment of glioblastoma with temozolomide (TMZ) plus 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU)

H Humeyra Kaanoglu (Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine) Y Yasemin K. Akyel (Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine) A Adebimpe Adefolaju (Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina) A Alain Valdivia (Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina) D Dominique Higgins (Department of Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina) R Rani S. Sellers (Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina) C Caroline Mosely (UNC Advanced Translational Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina) C Corey J. Haswell (UNC Advanced Translational Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina) W William C. Zamboni (UNC Advanced Translational Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina) S Shawn D. Hingtgen (Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina) A Andrew B. Satterlee (Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina) A Aziz Sancar

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in adults, with incidence peaking in later life. It is commonly treated with surgery followed by administration of ionizing radiation and the DNA-alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ). Even though this regimen confers some progression-free survival, there is essentially no cure with the median survival with the standard of care being about 12 mo. Currently, several alternative approaches are being developed to improve upon this outcome. We have already shown EdU alone effectively treats GBM, and we now study the efficacy of TMZ+EdU combination therapy. TMZ+EdU significantly improves antitumor efficacy compared to either single-agent therapy against GBM cell lines in vitro, against three different orthotopic GBM xenograft models, and against passage-zero GBM patient tumor tissues engrafted within an organotypic brain slice culture-based platform. Together, our results suggest that EdU could be effective alongside standard-of-care TMZ in patients with GBM.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 123, Issue 1
Published January 06, 2026
ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher National Academy of Sciences

Authors (12)

H

Humeyra Kaanoglu

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Y

Yasemin K. Akyel

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine

A

Adebimpe Adefolaju

Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina

A

Alain Valdivia

Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina

D

Dominique Higgins

Department of Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina

R

Rani S. Sellers

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina

C

Caroline Mosely

UNC Advanced Translational Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina

C

Corey J. Haswell

UNC Advanced Translational Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina

W

William C. Zamboni

UNC Advanced Translational Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina

S

Shawn D. Hingtgen

Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina

A

Andrew B. Satterlee

Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina

A

Aziz Sancar