Despite advances in surgery and adjuvant therapy, brain tumours represent one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality and morbidity in both adults and children. Gliomas constitute about 60% of all cerebral tumours, showing varying degrees of malignancy. They are difficult to treat due to dismal prognosis and limited therapeutics. Metabolomics is the untargeted and targeted analyses of endogenous and exogenous small molecules, which characterizes the phenotype of an individual. This emerging “omics” science provides functional readouts of cellular activity that contribute greatly to the understanding of cancer biology including brain tumour biology. Metabolites are highly informative as a direct signature of biochemical activity; therefore, metabolite profiling has become a promising approach for clinical diagnostics and prognostics. The metabolic alterations are well-recognized as one of the key hallmarks in monitoring disease progression, therapy and revealing new molecular targets for effective therapeutic intervention. Taking advantage of the latest high-throughput analytical technologies, i.e. nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, metabolomics is now a promising field for precision medicine and drug discovery. In the present report, we review the application of metabolomics and in vivo metabolic profiling in the context of adult gliomas and paediatric brain tumours. Analytical platforms such as high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance, in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and high- and low-resolution mass spectrometry are discussed. Moreover, the relevance of metabolic studies in the development of new therapeutic strategies for treatment of gliomas are reviewed.

BackgroundMating behaviors in simple invertebrate model organisms represent tractable paradigms for understanding the neural bases of sex-specific behaviors, decision-making and sensorimotor integration. However, there are few examples where such neural circuits have been defined at high resolution or interrogated.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere we exploit the simplicity of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to define the neural circuits underlying the male’s decision to initiate mating in response to contact with a mate. Mate contact is sensed by male-specific sensilla of the tail, the rays, which subsequently induce and guide a contact-based search of the hermaphrodite’s surface for the vulva (the vulva search). Atypically, search locomotion has a backward directional bias so its implementation requires overcoming an intrinsic bias for forward movement, set by activity of the sex-shared locomotory system. Using optogenetics, cell-specific ablation- and mutant behavioral analyses, we show that the male makes this shift by manipulating the activity of command cells within this sex-shared locomotory system. The rays control the command interneurons through the male-specific, decision-making interneuron PVY and its auxiliary cell PVX. Unlike many sex-shared pathways, PVY/PVX regulate the command cells via cholinergic, rather than glutamatergic transmission, a feature that likely contributes to response specificity and coordinates directional movement with other cholinergic-dependent motor behaviors of the mating sequence. PVY/PVX preferentially activate the backward, and not forward, command cells because of a bias in synaptic inputs and the distribution of key cholinergic receptors (encoded by the genes acr-18, acr-16 and unc-29) in favor of the backward command cells.Conclusion/SignificanceOur interrogation of male neural circuits reveals that a sex-specific response to the opposite sex is conferred by a male-specific pathway that renders subordinate, sex-shared motor programs responsive to mate cues. Circuit modifications of these types may make prominent contributions to natural variations in behavior that ultimately bring about speciation.

Evo plus Bev was well tolerated in patients with Bev-refractory GBM, with preliminary evidence of activity that merits further investigation.

2064 Background: Recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) following chemoradiation is associated with a poor prognosis. While bevacizumab is the most common salvage therapy, responses remain brief and without an associated survival benefit. Resistance may involve overexpression of Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN). Our institution is conducting a phase 2 study of bevacizumab with FASN inhibitor TVB-2640 in patients with GBM in first relapse. Methods: This is a prospective, phase 2 study of bevacizumab with TVB-2640 in patients with GBM in first relapse. Primary end point is progression free survival (PFS). Inclusion criteria are: age ≥ 18, ECOG 0 to 2, GBM progression following standard combined modality treatment. Randomization into two arms for the first 28 days is included for exploratory biochemical analysis: patients in arm 1 receive bevacizumab every 2 weeks in combination with TVB-2640; those in arm 2 receive bevacizumab alone every 2 weeks. MR-Spectroscopy (MRS) and serum sampling for exosome analysis are obtained on patients at day 1 and 28 of first cycle. Starting on cycle 2 day 1, all patients converge to a single arm and continue to receive bevacizumab in combination with TVB-2640. Results: We have enrolled 24 patients to date; 23 have started treatment. Of those 23 patients, 10 have died, 4 have progressed but are still alive, 2 withdrew, and 7 are still active on trial. The PFS6 is and OS9 are both currently 50%, which compares favorably with historical controls. There have been no reports of grade 4 or 5 treatment-related AEs (of note, 2 deaths were thought definitely unrelated to treatment, including 1 case of intracerebral hemorrhage, and 1 case of sepsis). There have been two cases of grade 3 hand-foot syndrome thought definitely related to treatment. Updated results will include PFS, response, and biomarker analysis (exosome, MRS). Conclusions: The combination of TVB2640 with bevacizumab appears be well tolerated. PFS6 and OS9 are both currently 50%. The study has completed accrual with final data expected later in 2019. Clinical trial information: NCT03032484.

Purpose: Glioblastoma (GBM) represents the most common primary brain tumor. Although anti-angiogenics are employed in the recurrent setting, they do not prolong survival. GBM is known to upregulate fatty acid synthase (FASN) to facilitate lipid biosynthesis. TVB-2640, a FASN inhibitor, impairs this activity. Patients and Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-center, open-label, unblinded, phase II study of TVB-2640 plus bevacizumab in patients with recurrent high-grade astrocytoma. Patients were randomized to TVB-2640 (100mg/m2 oral daily) plus bevacizumab (10mg/kg IV, D1 and D15) or bevacizumab monotherapy for cycle 1 only (28 days) for biomarker analysis. Thereafter, all patients received TVB-2640 plus bevacizumab until treatment-related toxicity or progressive disease. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. Results: A total of 25 patients were enrolled. The most frequently reported AEs were palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, hypertension, mucositis, dry eye, fatigue and skin infection. Most were Grade 1 or 2 in intensity. The ORR for TVB-2640 plus bevacizumab was 56% (CR 17%, PR 39%). PFS6 for TVB-2640 plus bevacizumab was 31.4%. This represented a statistically significant improvement in PFS6 over historical bevacizumab monotherapy (BELOB 16%, p=0.008) and met the primary study endpoint. The observed OS6 was 68%, with survival not reaching significance by log rank test (p=0.56). Conclusions: In this phase II study of relapsed high-grade astrocytoma, TVB-2640 was found to be a well-tolerated oral drug that could be safely combined with bevacizumab. The favorable safety profile and response signals support the initiation of a larger multicenter trial of TVB-2640 plus bevacizumab in astrocytoma.