Neurosurgery Clinical Trials
Below is a list of clinical trials run by the Neurosurgery department at MD Anderson. We have clinical trials for a variety of diagnoses, including glioblastoma, meningioma, glioma, spinal tumors and more. Trial availability may change without notice. Individual trial spots may open or close without notice. Click on the study link for detailed information about each clinical trial.
For more information or questions about clinical trials, email Summer Stovall at SStovall@mdanderson.org.
Last updated March, 2025
Active Clinical Trials and Interventional Studies
2015-0953. Oncolytic Adenovirus DNX-2401 in Treating Patients with Recurrent High-Grade Glioma
Physician name: Frederick Lang, M.D.
Phase I
Treatment agent: Oncolytic Adenovirus Ad5-DNX-2401
Disease: IDH1 wt Allele, Recurrent Anaplastic Astrocytoma, Recurrent Glioblastoma, Recurrent Gliosarcoma, Recurrent Malignant Glioma
To learn more, visit ClinicalTrials.gov - NCT03896568
2015-0775. Characterization and Decoding of Cortical Oscillatory Dynamics of Complex Hand Function
Physician name: Sujit Prabhu, M.D.
Disease: Brain Neoplasm, Metastatic Malignant Neoplasm in the Brain, Recurrent Brain Neoplasm
To learn more, visit ClinicalTrials.gov - NCT02754544
2019-1223. Maximum Tolerated Dose, Safety, and Efficacy of Rhenium Nanoliposomes in Recurrent Glioma (ReSPECT)
Physician name: Jeffrey Weinberg, M.D.
Phase I
Treatment agent: Rhenium Liposome Treatment
Disease: Glioma
To learn more, visit ClinicalTrials.gov - NCT01906385
2020-1111. Post-Surgical Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) Compared With Permanently Implanted Collagen Tile Brachytherapy for Resected Metastatic Brain Disease
Physician name: Jeffrey Weinberg, M.D.
Phase III
Treatment agent: Stereotactic Radiation Therapy
Disease: Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Brain Tumors
To learn more, visit ClinicalTrials.gov - NCT04365374
2023-0206. A Pivotal Clinical Trial Evaluating the Safety and Effectiveness of Adherus™ AutoSpray and Adherus™ AutoSpray ET Dural Sealant When Used as a Dural Sealant in Spinal Procedures
Physician Name: Robert North, M.D., Ph.D.
2022-0901. A pivotal study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Exablate Model 4000 using microbubble resonators to temporarily mediate blood-brain barrier disruption (BBBD) for liquid biopsy in subjects with glioblastoma brain tumors
Physician name: Jeffrey Weinberg, M.D.
Disease: Glioblastoma, Glioma
To learn more, visit ClinicalTrials.gov - NCT05383872
2023-0010. A Phase I Study of the Treatment of Recurrent Malignant Glioma with rQNestin34.5v.2, a Genetically Engineered HSV-1 Virus, and immunomodulation with Cyclophosphamide (Dana Farber Cancer Institute/ Brigham and Women’s Hospital)
Physician Name: Betty Y.S. Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
Disease: Glioma
2023-0838. Your Brain on Music
Principal Investigator: Mei Rui, D.M.A.
2024-0082. A Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Impact of Live and Recorded Music-Based Interventions on Pre-operative Stress, Mood, Pain and Biomarkers, in Neurosurgical Patients (Music-STAR Trial)
Principal Investigator: Mei Rui, D.M.A.
2024-1393. Evaluating Occupational Stress in Surgeons and Musicians: A Multi-Modal Pilot Study Using Wearable EEG, Biomarker Analysis and Validated Questionnaires
Principal Investigator: Mei Rui, D.M.A.
Active Prospective Lab Studies, Registry Studies and Data Reviews
Registries
2016-0352. Primary Tumor Research and Outcome Network (PTRON)
Physician Name: Laurence Rhines, M.D.
To learn more, visit ClinicalTrials.gov - NIH link: No: NCT02790983
PA17-0697. Registry study to compare use of Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Direct Cortical Stimulation in pre-operative and intraoperative eloquent areas in patients with brain tumors. A retrospective and prospective analysis
Principal Investigator: Sarah Prinsloo, Ph.D.
PA18-0181. Natural History of Brain Subependymoma and Patient Outcomes
Physician Name: Frederick Lang, M.D.
PA18-0742. Metastatic Tumor Research and Outcomes Network: A multicenter prospective registry for the management and outcome of metastatic spine tumors
Physician Name: Laurence Rhines, M.D.
2022-0532. Spine, Peripheral Nerve and Brain Tumors: Patient Reported Outcomes
Physician Name: Robert North, M.D., Ph.D.
Prospective Lab Studies
LAB04-0001. Isolation and Characterization of Neural Stem Cells from Human Brain Tumors
Physician Name: Frederick Lang, M.D.
PA14-0331. Development of a New Method of In Vitro Culture of Fresh Specimen Obtained During Surgery for Spinal Tumors
Physician Name: Claudio Tatsui, M.D.
2022-0943. Induced pluripotent stem cell derived genetically modified macrophages (iMacs) for personalized cell-based cancer therapy
Physician Name: Chibawanye I. Ene, M.D., Ph.D.
2022-0979. Characterizing Spatial Heterogeneity of CNS Tumors Through the Construction and Use of Tissue Microarrays
Physician Name: Chibawanye I. Ene, M.D., Ph.D.
2022-0736. Intraoperative Analysis of Human Brain Cancer Tissue with Handheld Mass Spectrometry System
Physician Name: Jeffrey Weinberg, M.D.
Retrospective Lab Studies
PA17-0786. Characterization of the Tumor Immunity After Delta-24-RGD Treatment
Physician Name: Frederick Lang, M.D.
PA19-0625. Retrospective Analysis of Single Extracellular Vesicle in Glioblastoma
Physician Name: Betty Y.S. Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
PA19-0661. Retrospective analysis of immunological differences between GBM and Recurrent GBMs
Physician Name: Betty Y.S. Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
2021-0182. Review of meningiomas arising in patients with presence or history of non CNS malignancy
Physician Name: Franco DeMonte, M.D.
2021-0702. Retrospective analysis of IDH mutant gliomas
Physician Name: Frederick Lang, M.D.
2020-1248. Denosumab for Giant Cell Tumors of the Spine; Molecular Predictors of Clinical Response
Physician Name: Laurence Rhines, M.D.
2021-1041. Analyzing adhesion and signaling functions for Ptpn12 in invasive glioma cells
Principal Investigator: Joseph McCarty, Ph.D.
2021-0857. Protocol for chart review and collection of specimens from brain and spinal metastases patients within the context of immune checkpoint blockade
Physician Name: Christopher Alvarez-Breckenridge, M.D., Ph.D.
2022-0415. Review of outcomes of treatment of meningiomas
Physician Name: Franco DeMonte, M.D.
2022-0973. Retrospective analysis of peripheral blood and saliva samples from patients in the TARGET trial (Therapeutic adenovirus for Recurrent Glioblastoma Effect Trial)
Physician Name: Chibawanye I. Ene, M.D., Ph.D.
2023-0462. Development of Genetically Driven Evidence Based Treatment Paradigm for Chordoma
Physician Name: Shaan Raza, M.D.
2022-0865. Factors Influencing the Outcomes of Patients With Sellar and Parasellar Neoplasms
Physician Name: Ian McCutcheon, M.D.
2025-0332. Developing a spatial multi-omics atlas of matched primary and locally recurrent skull base chordomas to identify prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets
Physician Name: Shaan Raza, M.D.
Clinical Trial Spotlight
Post-Surgical Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) Versus GammaTile
Summary: This Phase 3 trial is a randomized controlled study comparing the efficacy and safety of intraoperative radiation therapy
using GammaTilesTM (GT) versus SRS three-four weeks following metastatic tumor resection, which is the current standard of care for patients with brain metastases (NCCN Guidelines, 2019). GammaTile is an FDA-cleared means of rapid dose delivery of radiation therapy directly to the tumor bed with predictable dosimetry at the immediate time of re-resection, and an intense but localized radiation treatment may confer a reduced risk for radiation necrosis compared to other therapies. It is typically easily placed with minimal additional operative time and limited staff radiation exposure.
Patients with an index lesion meeting the criteria of 2.5cm to 5cm in diameter and appropriate for gross total resection (GTR) are identified. Patients may have up to three other non-resectable lesions and must meet other eligibility criteria to be offered the study.
Enrolled patients are randomized on a 1:1 ratio to the two study arms based on the following stratification factors; age (<60 and ≥60), duration of extracranial disease control (≤3 months vs >3 months), number of metastases (one or two to four), histology (lung and radiation resistant), and the maximal diameter of the index lesion (≤3 cm and >3 cm).
After resection of the index lesion, the surgical bed is treated with adjunct radiation (either GT or SRS). Additional unresected metastatic lesions and and new lesions are treated with SRT alone, which also adheres to standard of care guidelines.