GLORIA Study Team Honored with 2026 German University Medicine Prize for Glioblastoma Research

Researchers affiliated with six German university medical centers have been recognized with the 2026 German University Medicine Prize for their contributions to the GLORIA study. This Phase 1/2 clinical trial, conducted by TME Pharma, investigates the use of NOX-A12, a CXCL12 inhibitor, in combination with radiotherapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients who exhibit resistance to chemotherapy.

In an expansion cohort, the study further explored the combination of NOX-A12 and radiotherapy with bevacizumab to enhance therapeutic effects. The jury praised the effective integration of basic and clinical research, highlighting the interdisciplinary cooperation among the participating sites.

TME Pharma expressed its appreciation for this acknowledgment from the medical community in Germany, viewing it as a validation of their innovative treatment strategy for glioblastoma.

The announcement follows TME Pharma's exclusive negotiation agreement with TMS Co., Ltd. regarding worldwide rights to NOX-A12. The GLORIA trial team consists of specialists in various fields including radiation oncology, neuro-oncology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, and neuropathology from Bonn, Essen, Leipzig, Mannheim, Münster, and Tübingen. Dr. Frank Giordano from Mannheim leads the clinical aspect of the study, while Dr. Julian Layer from Bonn oversees the translational component. A formal award ceremony is scheduled for November 24, 2026, in Berlin.

The awarding bodies noted the significance of the GLORIA trial findings, particularly concerning glioblastoma recurrence mechanisms, where tumors rapidly re-establish blood supply post-irradiation by utilizing chemokines like CXCL12 to evade immune responses. NOX-A12 targets and neutralizes CXCL12 to inhibit this process. The results from the GLORIA trial indicated that combining NOX-A12 with radiotherapy and bevacizumab resulted in a median overall survival of 19.9 months among treated patients, with the combination therapy exhibiting tolerable safety profiles. These findings have been published in articles in Nature Communications.

Diede van den Ouden, CEO of TME Pharma, emphasized the recognition of the team’s efforts in blending clinical observations with translational research, reinforcing the therapeutic rationale behind NOX-A12’s development for glioblastoma treatment.

The GLORIA study (NCT04121455) is characterized as a dose-escalation trial targeting patients with unmethylated MGMT promoter tumors, making them resistant to standard chemotherapy. In addition, TME Pharma is planning the OPTIMUS study (NCT04901741) to assess NOX-A12 in combination with other therapeutics in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients.

The German University Medicine Prize, granted by the German Association of Medical Faculties (MFT) and the Association of German University Hospitals (VUD), honors innovative research efforts that translate into significant patient care advancements.