ATTRACT

Lead Institution: Medizinische Universität Wien

Partnerinstitutionen: CBmed GmbH, Medizinische Universität Graz, Kepler Universitätsklinikum/Johannes Kepler Universität, Karl Landsteiner Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Danube Private University, Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)

Head: Assoc.-Prof. PD Dr. Anna Sophie Berghoff

Mentor: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Matthias Preusser

Deputy Head: DDr. Maximilian Mair

Project Manager: Zoltan Spiro, PhD

Contact: nggenpg@zrqhavjvra.np.ng

Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. It is an aggressive disease with a very poor outlook and a high burden of symptoms. Although researchers have worked intensively for many years, major breakthroughs in treatment have remained out of reach. One of the main challenges is that many drugs cannot reach the brain in sufficient amounts, and the tumor often shows strong resistance to available therapies. In around 60–70% of patients, the promoter of the gene MGMT is unmethylated, which makes the tumor even less responsive to treatment and worsens the prognosis. This highlights the urgent need for more personalized and effective therapeutic approaches.

The ATTRACT project aims to advance the concept of functional precision medicine—matching the right drug to the right patient based on how their individual tumor responds. This effort is driven by an interdisciplinary Austrian consortium that brings together the expertise of neuro‑oncology centers and leading basic and translational research institutions.

A key first step is the creation of a nationwide Austrian biobank for glioblastoma. Several clinical centers—Vienna (AKH, Klinik Donaustadt and Klinik Landstrasse), Graz, St. Pölten, Linz, Innsbruck, Wiener Neustadt, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Feldkirch—will recruit patients and collect biological samples. Over four years, the project aims to enroll around 800 adults (aged 18 and older) with a radiological suspicion of glioblastoma. Tumor tissue and blood samples will be collected at diagnosis and, where applicable, at recurrence. Fresh tumor samples will be used to grow patient‑derived cells (PDCs) in the laboratory. These cells will form the basis of a drug‑screening platform that tests how the tumor responds to a selected panel of medications. When enough tissue is available, additional frozen samples will be stored at the clinical centers for future research.

The clinical value of this approach will be evaluated in a study involving 240 adults with newly diagnosed glioblastoma and an unmethylated MGMT promoter. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a standard group receiving routine histological analysis, and an investigational group that also undergoes PDC‑based drug screening. A molecular tumor board—consisting of experts including the local principal investigator and the treating physician—will review the drug‑screening results and recommend a personalized treatment strategy. The treating physician will then discuss these recommendations with the patient, who can decide whether to follow them within a named‑patient program.

Using the biobank, researchers will study treatment responses and resistance mechanisms by applying molecular biology techniques to PDCs and tumor tissue samples. These findings will be combined with imaging data and clinical information. Advanced analytical methods, including artificial intelligence, will help identify new biomarkers. Through this comprehensive approach, ATTRACT aims to deepen the understanding of glioblastoma biology and lay the groundwork for innovative, more effective treatment strategies.