Vascarta and CUNY Report Preclinical Breakthrough in Glioblastoma Treatment
SUMMIT, N.J., Nov. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vascarta Inc., a healthspan focused, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company advancing safe, patient friendly therapies for pain, inflammation, and, in collaboration with the City University of New York (CUNY), announce the publication of a preclinical study demonstrating that STO-1, a first-in-class drug candidate, can selectively eliminate glioblastoma (GBM) cells in mice while avoiding harmful autoimmune reactions.
STO-1 is a proprietary hybrid molecule in which curcumin is linked to paclitaxel with a linker that gets broken when STO-1 enters a cell. In the study, mice treated with STO-1 experienced a 67% long-term survival rate, with several animals achieving complete tumor clearance. The therapy works in part by reprogramming deactivated tumor-associated immune cells to attack the tumor, while leaving healthy immune function intact. This minimizes the prospect of undesirable side effects often seen with immunotherapies.
Dr. Probal Banerjee, the senior author and Professor, Biochemistry, Biology, Neuroscience, Chemistry at the College of Staten Island, CUNY, said:
"Unlike other immune therapies, which can trigger dangerous autoimmune reactions, STO-1 targets only the tumor-associated cells. This study demonstrates a promising new approach to treating glioblastoma safely."
Dr. Richard Prince, Chairman, Chief Executive and President, Vascarta, stated:
"These results highlight the potential of STO-1 to offer a safe and effective option for patients with glioblastoma without the side effects."
Link to the publication:
About Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of malignant brain tumor in adults, affecting more than 13,000 Americans each year. Current treatments include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and experimental immunotherapies, but outcomes remain poor.
About Vascarta
Vascarta Inc. is a healthspan-focused, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company working to improve lives by providing first in class, safe and effective treatments to reduce chronic pain and inflammation. Vascarta's proprietary drug delivery platform supports a growing pipeline of therapies targeting inflammatory diseases and cancer. The lead candidate, Vasceptor® (VAS-101), is a topically applied transdermal formulation that utilizes curcumin as its active pharmaceutical ingredient. The transdermal delivery route significantly enhances the many pleiotropic properties of curcumin including potent anti-inflammatory activity, targeted nitric oxide release, systemic and local analgesia, red blood cell stabilization and multiple neuroprotective mechanisms. As a result, VAS-101 can be used to treat fundamental disease processes in addition to relief of symptoms. By bypassing the gastrointestinal tract and delivering curcumin directly into systemic circulation, VAS-101 achieves therapeutic levels previously unattainable through oral formulations.
The company is advancing VAS-101 following a positive phase I clinical trial in Osteoarthritis. It is also being studied in Sickle Cell Disease by the NIH and preclinically in cancer.
Vascarta is actively pursuing Series A financing and strategic partnerships to advance the pipeline for commercialization. For more about Vascarta, please visit www.vascarta.com or follow the company on LinkedIn.
About the City University of New York (CUNY)
CUNY is the nation's leading urban public university, providing high-quality education and research opportunities across its colleges, including groundbreaking studies in cancer biology and immunology.
Contacts for further information:
- Dr. Richard Prince, Chairman, CEO & President – [email protected]
- Mr. David Hymson, Communications – [email protected]
SOURCE Vascarta Inc.
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