Clinical Trials

Imaging Biometrics is currently sponsoring the clinical trial of the oral drug Gallium Maltolate for recurring glioblastoma. In addition, IB provides image analysis for evaluating the response to Gallium Maltolate treatment in patients. 

Dr. Jennifer Connelly, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is the Principal Investigator of the clinical trial with Dr. Christopher Chitambar, MD, serving as co-PI and Chair. Both are long-standing collaborators with Dr. Kathleen Schmainda, PhD, a co-founder of Imaging Biometrics, LLC, and a recognized leader in brain tumor imaging. 

The treatment evolved from research led by Dr. Chitambar and his lab to study iron-dependent processes in cancer biology and the mechanisms by which gallium compounds target iron metabolism and block malignant cell growth. In preclinical studies, Dr. Chitambar and Dr. Schmainda, discovered that when administered intravenously, Gallium Maltolate (GaM) significantly slowed the growth of glioblastoma in a rat brain tumor model. Additional studies showed that GaM, administered orally to glioblastoma-bearing rats, significantly reduced the size of their tumors and prolonged survival.

 GaM is an orally available form of the metal gallium, which, in the body, shares many chemical properties with the highly oxidized form of iron, Fe(III). Numerous studies examining the relationship between iron and cancer show that increased levels of iron in the body can be associated with increased cancer risk and severity, due to cancer cells' dependence on iron to multiply and spread. Cancer cells take up gallium instead of iron, preventing their multiplication, ultimately leading to their death.

The trial, being conducted at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, is currently accepting participants and has an anticipated completion date of December 2025.