MGC Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX, LSE: MXC, ‘MGC Pharma’ or ‘the Company’), a European based bio-pharma company specialising in the production and development of phytomedicines, in collaboration with the National Institute of Biology in Slovenia, has completed a successful in-vitro preclinical research study into the use of cannabinoids to treat Glioblastoma multiforme cells, a fast-growing and aggressive form of brain cancer.
The Glioblastoma research study, conducted between 2019-2022, initially used a formulation which included THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which was later replaced with Cannabigerol (CBG), which has no known psychotropic effects.[1]
The study was undertaken on biopsy samples taken from 18 patients, and over 5,800 cell tests over the course of the study, to determine the most effective concentrations and ratios of Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) in the treatment formulation. The results of the study have demonstrated the efficacy of cannabinoids in treating Glioblastoma, as well as determining the most effective ratio of CBD:CBG in inhibiting the tumours’ viability, setting off the cascade of biological processes leading to the apoptosis (cell death) of the Glioblastoma tumour and stem cells. With Glioblastoma stem cells being the main cause of the disease’s progression, and which are highly resistant to standard therapies.[2]
MGC is also undertaking studies in collaboration with UK company, Graft Polymer UK PLC, on the use of a base formulation nano delivery system, based on Graft Polymer’s Graft-Bio IP, to improve the bioavailability of the active compounds using a non-invasive drug administration process, with the study examining the toxicity of the base emulation in order to confirm its safety profile for potential use in future clinical research undertaken by MGC Pharma.
Figure 1. Glioblastoma study process
Figure 2. The graphs below presents the cell viability results of cell lines no. 140 and 142, treated with various ratio combinations of MGC Pharma’s treatment formulation. These results will be used by MGC Pharma to determine the treatment formulations to be used in future research.
Glioblastoma Research Results
The study also examined the effect of adding a widely used chemotherapy agent to the treatment formulation in order to determine the effect on its efficacy, with the results demonstrating that the addition of the agent bore no contributing effects to cell apoptosis. Significantly, these results suggest that MGC Pharma’s cannabinoid treatment can potentially be used as a treatment in cancer patients without the inclusion of toxic agents. These findings will be the subject of further research in studies to determine the efficacy of MGC’s Glioblastoma treatment formulation in a clinical trial setting. With the advance of MGC Pharma’s research to the next stage of the Clinical Trial process, it is anticipated that the treatment formulation will provide a crucial addition to the Company’s Intellectual Property, as well as being a transformative step forward in the treatment of aggressive brain cancers.
Roby Zomer, co-founder and Managing Director of MGC Pharmaceuticals, commented: “The results of this trial are enormously exciting both for the Company, and for the treatment of fatal cancerous tumours. MGC Pharma’s research has demonstrated the effect of naturally derived cannabinoid products on stage IV brain tumours without the use of toxic chemotherapy components. We are proud of the work achieved thus far and are looking forward to advancing our proprietary formulation to the next stage of clinical trials.”
