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Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 1INTERVENTIONAL

Sonodynamic Therapy in Patients With Recurrent GBM

Pilot Study of Sonodynamic Therapy With 5-ALA for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma Using Neuronavigation-Guided Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound

Sonodynamic Therapy in Patients With Recurrent GBM (NCT06039709) is a Phase 1 interventional studying Recurrent Glioblastoma and Glioblastoma Multiforme, sponsored by Shayan Moosa, MD. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) are faced with limited treatment options. This pilot study will evaluate the safety and feasibility of combining an investigational drug called 5-ALA with neuronavigation-guided low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) for patients who have recurrent GBM. Focused ultrasound (FUS) can be used to non-invasively destroy tumor tissue while preserving normal tissue. When FUS is combined with 5-ALA, this combinatorial approach is called sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and this investigational therapy is being tested for its ability to cause damage to GBM cells. SDT will take place prior to surgery for recurrent GBM.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 1 trials test a new treatment for the first time in humans, focusing on safety, dosing, and how the body processes the drug. For Recurrent Glioblastoma, a Phase 1 study typically enrolls a small number of participants — often healthy volunteers or patients who have exhausted standard treatment options. Phase 1 results determine whether a treatment moves into larger Phase 2 efficacy studies.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

With a target enrollment of 11 participants, this is a small study — typical of early-phase research, rare-disease trials, or pilot studies designed to generate preliminary signal before a larger study is launched.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: 1. Disease status and Disease Parameters: - Suspected recurrent glioblastoma that is clearly measurable based on the modified Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria - The tumor lesion needs to comprise at least 1 contrast-enhancing lesion with a volume of ≥ 2 cm3 and ≤ 20 cm3 of targeted treatment area - Tumor tissue to be treated is in a surgically accessible brain region for resection - The brain tumor to be treated must be in the treatment envelope of the NaviFUS system (30 mm to 90 mm from the inner skull table) - Recurrence will be assessed by imaging and confirmed by consensus at tumor board 2. Men or women between the ages of 18-80 years of age at the time of consent 3. No contraindication to repeat brain surgery 4. Karnofsky Performance Score of 70-100 5. Able to undergo an MRI with contrast 6. Able to swallow oral medications 7. Willingness and ability to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plans, lifestyle considerations, laboratory tests, and other procedures. 8. Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written willing to sign a consent form document (personally or by the legally authorized representative, if applicable). 9. Participants who received prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and/or another investigational therapy must have recovered (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events \[CTCAE\] Grade ≤1 or baseline) from the acute effects of the therapy or therapies) except for residual alopecia or Grade 2 peripheral neuropathy prior to registration. 10. Has adequate bone marrow and organ function as defined by the following laboratory values (as assessed by the local laboratory for eligibility): Hematological - Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1000/mm3 - platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Disease status and Disease Parameters: * Suspected recurrent glioblastoma that is clearly measurable based on the modified Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria * The tumor lesion needs to comprise at least 1 contrast-enhancing lesion with a volume of ≥ 2 cm3 and ≤ 20 cm3 of targeted treatment area * Tumor tissue to be treated is in a surgically accessible brain region for resection * The brain tumor to be treated must be in the treatment envelope of the NaviFUS system (30 mm to 90 mm from the inner skull table) * Recurrence will be assessed by imaging and confirmed by consensus at tumor board 2. Men or women between the ages of 18-80 years of age at the time of consent 3. No contraindication to repeat brain surgery 4. Karnofsky Performance Score of 70-100 5. Able to undergo an MRI with contrast 6. Able to swallow oral medications 7. Willingness and ability to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plans, lifestyle considerations, laboratory tests, and other procedures. 8. Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document (personally or by the legally authorized representative, if applicable). 9. Participants who received prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and/or another investigational therapy must have recovered (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events \[CTCAE\] Grade ≤1 or baseline) from the acute effects of the therapy or therapies) except for residual alopecia or Grade 2 peripheral neuropathy prior to registration. 10. Has adequate bone marrow and organ function as defined by the following laboratory values (as assessed by the local laboratory for eligibility): Hematological * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1000/mm3 * Platelets ≥ 100,000/mm3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 11 g/dL for women and ≥ 12 g/dL for men Participants may receive erythrocyte transfusions to achieve this hemoglobin level at the discretion of the investigator. * INR ≤ 1.4 Renal \& Hepatic * Creatinine clearance CrCl ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 as estimated by the Cockcroft-Gault (C-G) equation. If estimated CrCl is abnormal, accurate measurement should be obtained by 24- hour CrCl. * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN (except in patients with Gilbert's disease, where bilirubin to 2.0x ULN is allowed). * AST and ALT ≤ 3 x ULN * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 3 x ULN * Estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥30mL/min/1.73m2 Exclusion Criteria: 1. Known sensitivity or allergy to 5-ALA 2. Simultaneous use of other potentially phototoxic substances (e.g. tetracyclines, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, hypericin extracts) 3. Diagnosis of porphyria 4. Hypersensitivity against porphyrins 5. Pregnancy 6. Significant cardiac disease or coagulopathy 7. Herniation / intractable seizure / other clinical indications requiring urgent resection 8. Known active systemic bacterial infection (requiring intravenous \[IV\] antibiotics at time of initiating study treatment), fungal infection, or detectable viral infection (such as known human immunodeficiency virus positivity or with known active hepatitis B or C (for example, hepatitis B surface antigen positive) 9. Have had a recent (≤3 months prior to registration) transient ischemic attack or stroke 10. Significant vascular disease (e.g. aortic aneurysm) 11. Evidence of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy 12. Need for systemic anticoagulation which cannot be held for 7 days prior to SDT 13. Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure (NYH Class III or Class IV; see section 13.2) within 6 months prior to registration 14. Severe hypertension (systolic ≥ 180 mm Hg; diastolic ≥ 120 mm Hg) despite anti-hypertensive medications 15. Transmural myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to registration 16. Serious and inadequately controlled cardiac arrhythmia 17. Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 18. Has serious and/or uncontrolled preexisting medical condition(s) that, in the judgment of the investigator, would preclude participation in this study 19. Treatment with another investigational drug or investigational procedure within 30 days prior to registration or within 5 half-lives of the investigational product, whichever is longer 20. Brain edema and/or mass effect that causes midline shift of more than 15 mm 21. Evidence of recent (within 30 days prior to registration) intracranial hemorrhage 22. Calcifications or metallic implanted objects in the focused ultrasound sonication path 23. Scalp atrophy or scars at the expected location of transducer 24. Cerebral or systemic vasculopathy 25. Need for or currently on dialysis 26. Respiratory: chronic pulmonary disorders (e.g., severe emphysema, COPD, pulmonary vasculitis, or other causes of reduced pulmonary vascular cross-sectional area). 27. Receipt of radiotherapy ≤21 days prior to registration 28. Receipt of chemotherapy ≤ 21 days prior to registration 29. Prior treatment with sonodynamic therapy 30. Concurrent use of Optune device 31. Concurrent use of supplements or medications with substantial antioxidant effects (including sulfhydryl-containing medications such as captopril or supplements such as N-acetylcysteine, or high doses of vitamins with antioxidant activity such as C or E) 32. Known sensitivity to gadolinium

Treatments Being Tested

COMBINATION_PRODUCT

5-ALA and Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (SDT)

5-ALA (20mg/kg orally) given \~6 hours prior to LIFU. Focused ultrasound will target a maximum of 50% of the tumor.

Locations (1)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06039709), the sponsor (Shayan Moosa, MD), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06039709 clinical trial studying?

Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) are faced with limited treatment options. This pilot study will evaluate the safety and feasibility of combining an investigational drug called 5-ALA with neuronavigation-guided low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) for patients who have recurrent GBM. Focused ultrasound (FUS) can be used to non-invasively destroy tumor tissue while preserving normal tissue. When FUS is combined with 5-ALA, this combinatorial approach is called sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and this investigational therapy is being tested for its ability to cause damage to GBM cells. S… The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06039709?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06039709?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06039709. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06039709. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.