Advancing a first-in-class LSD1 degrader and companion diagnostic for the treatment of glioblastoma
GLIOBREAK is developing BEA-17, a first-in-class small-molecule degrader designed to dismantle the LSD1/CoREST complex that helps glioblastoma evade the immune system and resist current treatments. By pairing this novel immuno-epigenetic therapy with a predictive biomarker strategy, the project aims to identify the patients most likely to benefit, moving a new GBM treatment concept from bench top toward clinical application.
114 k
new cases of GBM annually worldwide (26 k in Europe)
15 ~
months median survival in adults with GBM
5 %
survival after five years
• GBM: median survival ~15 months; <5% survive five years
• Standard of care (TMZ + radiotherapy) unchanged for 20 years
• LSD1/CoREST silencing suppresses anti-tumour immunity
• No validated predictive biomarker for patient selection
• 30 months · €2.57M from EIC Transition (top 40 of 611 proposals)
• Drug: BEA-17, first-in-class LSD1/CoREST degrader (FDA Orphan Drug Designation)
• Coordinator: Beactica Therapeutics AB (Uppsala, Sweden)
• Partner: KU Leuven LPCM (Leuven, Belgium)
About the project
GLIOBREAK advances BEA-17, a first-in-class small-molecule degrader of the LSD1/CoREST complex, toward clinical readiness in glioblastoma (GBM).
By dismantling a key epigenetic regulator of tumour immune evasion, BEA-17 restores anti-tumour immunity. Paired with an advanced biomarker strategy, GLIOBREAK aims to identify the patients most likely to benefit — moving a new GBM treatment concept from bench to clinical application.
GLIOBREAK is the translational successor to GLIOMATCH, an EU-funded project that generated a unique single-cell GBM atlas and identified LSD1/CoREST silencing as a driver of immune exclusion in GBM tumours. GLIOBREAK converts those fundamental discoveries into a clinical development programme — with the same two partner institutions leading each strand of the work.
GLIOBREAK is directly aligned with Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, which calls for more personalised therapies, improved access to innovative treatments for rare cancers, and stronger EU leadership in translational oncology research. As an EIC Transition project selected from 611 proposals, GLIOBREAK exemplifies the path from European research investment to clinical impact for patients with high unmet need.