Methodist Hospital, Remeditex work to develop brain tumor drug

The Methodist Hospital in Houston and Dallas-based Remeditex Ventures LLC have entered into an exclusive agreement to develop an investigational drug for glioblastomas.

Glioblastomas are the most malignant of all primary brain cancers, according to a press release from the hospital. Current treatments prolong survival for an average of five months.

The drug MP-MUS was developed by Dr. David S. Baskin and Martyn A. Sharpe, researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute. The substance has been shown in recent studies to kill human glioblastoma cells in cell culture and in an animal model, according to the release. The drug works by selectively targeting mitochondria in glioblastoma cells and destroying mitochondrial activity.

Methodist's research agreement with Remeditex could help move the drug toward human clinical trials, the release said.

The Methodist Hospital is at 6565 Fannin St., Houston.

For more information, visit www.methodisthealth.com.