NEO212 represents a groundbreaking approach to Central Nervous System (CNS) disease treatment, specifically designed to enhance the delivery of vital therapeutics directly to the brain. This innovative formulation is a chemical conjugation of Perillyl Alcohol (POH) with Temozolomide (TMZ), engineered to maximize drug efficacy and significantly improve patient outcomes for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) cancer tumors.
NEO212: A Novel TMZ Conjugate
NEO212 is a conjugation of Temozolomide (TMZ), a DNA alkylating agent, with a highly purified formulation of Perillyl Alcohol (POH).
TMZ remains the gold standard in treating anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme cancers by slowing or stopping cancer cell growth. Recent studies demonstrate its impact, showing 1-year and 2-year survival rates of 37.8% and 10.4% respectively, with radiation plus TMZ, compared to 22.2% and 2.8% with radiation alone. NEO212 was designed to potentially increase TMZ’s efficacy through oral and intranasal delivery within its conjugated formulation.
NEO212 Understanding Our Approach
Explore the essential details about NEO212, from its natural origins and unique properties
to its mechanism of action and various advanced delivery methods.
1. What is POH?
Perillyl Alcohol (POH) is a naturally occurring substance found in the essential oils of plants, such as citrus. It is already FDA-approved as a flavoring food agent.
POH has been shown to have antitumor activity against various cancer types including gliomas. POH induces apoptosis in tumor cells without affecting normal cells and can revert tumor cells to a differentiated state.
2. How does NEO100 work?
In the NEO100 Phase 1/2a trial, NEO100 has been shown to potentially positively impact the treatment of Grade IV gliomas. Grade IV gliomas are among the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancers, and patients with this form of cancer face a grim prognosis. Only a quarter of newly diagnosed Glioblastoma patients survive for 24 months, and fewer than 10 percent survive more than five years.
Because of its small lipophilic molecular size, NEO100 can permeate the Blood-Brain-Barrier and therefore allow delivery of itself or a combinatorial therapeutic directly to a tumor site.
3. How is NEO100 Administered?
Since our clinical trial and research has demonstrated that NEO100 potentially permeates across the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), three forms of delivery can be used to administer NEO100 or any of its conjugates.
Internasal Delivery – NEO100 can be delivered intranasal through the trigeminal pathway to bypass the BBB. This ability allows NEO100 to be used for local targeted delivery to the brain eliminating the issues associated with oral and intravenous delivery methods.
Permeable BBB Delivery – Since NEO100 is a small, lipophilic (fat-soluble) molecule, it can permeate the BBB which primarily targets the restriction of entry for large molecule substances (pathogens, viruses) and water-soluble compounds.
Intra-Arterial Delivery – NEO100 can be delivered intrathecally through a catheter positioned in the arterial pathway which feeds the tumor and is injected into the tumor site where it would be absorbed through the BBB into the tumor.
Research & Clinical Findings
Discover over 15 groundbreaking clinical trials involving NEO212 and it's potential impact on CNS diseases.
Mechanism of Action
NeOnc’s continued research has expanded our understanding of how POH (Perillyl Alcohol) works. In pharmacology, this is known as the mechanism of action (MOA), the specific biochemical interaction through which a drug produces its effect. An MOA describes the molecular targets a drug binds to, like enzymes or receptors, and how these interactions impact the targeted disease. The proposed MOA of NEO212 is shown below:
