It was recently announced that Sen. John McCain has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a deadly brain tumor. The tumor was discovered after the senator underwent a minor procedure last week to remove a blood clot from his left eye.
 
Behnam Badie, M.D., chief of neurosurgery and director of the Brain Tumor Program at City of Hope is available to discuss treatment, outcomes and research advances for this particular type of brain tumor. Badie is working to transform brain tumor treatment through research collaborations using nanoparticles, engineered CAR-T cells, engineered stem cells and other novel treatments. Badie, along with other City of Hope researchers and scientists, recently launched a clinical trial that uses patients’ own modified CAR-T cells to treat reoccurring glioblastomas. A case study from the trial was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In this approach, patients receive injections – directly in the brain – of immune cells genetically modified to recognize certain markers on cancer cells.