GLORIA Study Team Receives the 2026 German University Medicine Prize for Its Glioblastoma Research with CXCL12 Inhibitor NOX-A12
- Researchers from six German university medical centers have received the 2026 German University Medicine Prize for their work in the GLORIA study
- GLORIA, TME Pharma’s Phase 1/2 study, evaluates NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients who are resistant to chemotherapy. In an expansion cohort, NOX-A12 and radiotherapy were also combined with bevacizumab
- The prize jury was impressed by the successful combination of basic research and clinical application and the outstanding cross-site, interdisciplinary teamwork
- TME Pharma welcomes this independent external validation of its therapeutic approach in glioblastoma by the German medical community
- This announcement comes as TME Pharma has reached an exclusive negotiation agreement with TMS Co., Ltd. on worldwide rights to NOX-A12
Berlin, Germany, November 3, 2026, 08.00 am CET – TME Pharma N.V. (Euronext Growth Paris: ALTME), a biotech-company with clinical assets for brain cancer and eye diseases, announces that the clinical and translational team of the GLORIA study1 have received the Award of German University Medicine 2026. It is awarded to one team each year by the German Association of Medical Faculties (MFT) and the Association of German University Hospitals (VUD), which announced the award on October 22, 2026.2
Background of the Prize
The German University Medicine Prize recognizes outstanding team achievements in university medical research, in particular innovation, the translation of research results into patient care, and their societal relevance. MFT and VUD represent the 40 medical faculties and 37 university hospitals in Germany.
The awarded GLORIA trial team comprises specialists in radiation oncology, neuro-oncology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology and neuropathology at the university medical centers of Bonn, Essen, Leipzig, Mannheim, Münster and Tübingen. Clinical leadership of the study lies with Dr. Frank Giordano (Mannheim); translational leadership lies with Dr. Julian Layer (Bonn). The prize ceremony will take place on November 24, 2026 in Berlin.
Scientific Rationale and Results Cited by the Awarding Bodies
A key mechanism of glioblastoma recurrence is the rapid re-establishment of the tumor’s blood supply after irradiation. Tumors use chemokines such as CXCL12 to rebuild their blood supply and to evade immune attack. NOX-A12 is designed to neutralize CXCL12.
According to MFT and VUD, observations from the GLORIA trial were further investigated to reveal a tumor escape mechanism. This discovery led the team to pursue a novel treatment approach that simultaneously inhibits two different pathways employed by tumors to restore blood supply. In an expansion cohort of six patients, NOX-A12 and radiotherapy were therefore combined with the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab to address both pathways. The combination treatment was well tolerated, and a median overall survival of 19.9 months was reported. MFT and VUD describe these results as first promising indications of the benefit of the approach. The results have been published in two articles in Nature Communications3.
“We congratulate Dr. Giordano, Dr. Layer and the entire GLORIA team on this well-deserved recognition. The German University Medicine Prize was awarded by for the way the team connected clinical observations with translational research. We regard this as a strong external validation of the scientific rationale behind TME’s development of NOX-A12 in glioblastoma: preventing the tumor from rebuilding its blood supply after radiotherapy. We look forward to building on this work in the planned randomized extension of the GLORIA study with TMS Co. Ltd. This prestigious prize and the publications in Nature Communications validate the quality of the program, and I am therefore convinced that there is enormous value to be unlocked for investors,” said Diede van den Ouden, CEO of TME Pharma.
For more information, please contact:
TME Pharma N.V.
Diede van den Ouden, CEO
ir@tmepharma.com
www.tmepharma.com
About TME Pharma
TME Pharma is a biotechnology company with two assets with potential to be developed into novel therapies for cancer and eye diseases. The Company’s lead compounds have been designed to act on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer immunity cycle by breaking tumor protection barriers against the immune system and blocking tumor repair. The Company’s two lead assets are:
- NOX-A12 (olaptesed pegol, an anti-CXCL12 L-RNA aptamer), which has been studied (GLORIA Phase 1/2 clinical trial) in newly-diagnosed brain cancer patients who will not benefit clinically from standard chemotherapy. The US FDA and the German BfArM have approved the design of a randomized Phase 2 trial in glioblastoma, and TME Pharma was awarded Fast Track Designation by the FDA for NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy and bevacizumab for use in the treatment of the aggressive adult brain cancer, glioblastoma. NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy had also previously received orphan drug designation (ODD) for glioblastoma in the United States and glioma in Europe.
- NOX-E36 (emapticap pegol, L-RNA aptamer inhibiting CCL2 and related chemokines), for ophthalmic diseases with a high need for well-tolerated therapies with anti-fibrotic effect.
The Company is currently seeking opportunities to secure the financial resources to unlock the value of NOX-A12 and NOX-E36. These steps include:
- Finalizing a partnership with TMS Co., Ltd. for NOX-A12
- Raising funds from alternative sources to secure longer financial visibility and to minimize dilution for shareholders
- Seeking partners for NOX-E36, for example through licensing deals
- Pursuing stable, cash-generating business opportunities to achieve positive operational cash flow for the Company
- Leveraging tax loss carry forwards
About the GLORIA Study
The GLORIA (NCT04121455) ‘ready to go’-study is TME Pharma’s dose-escalation, Phase 1/2 study of NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy and bevacizumab in first-line partially resected or unresected glioblastoma (brain cancer) patients with unmethylated MGMT promoter (resistant to standard chemotherapy).
About the OPTIMUS Study
OPTIMUS (NCT04901741) is TME Pharma’s planned open-label two-arm Phase 2 study of NOX-A12 combined with pembrolizumab and nanoliposomal irinotecan/5-FU/leucovorin or gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in microsatellite-stable metastatic pancreatic cancer patients.
About the Preis der Deutschen Hochschulmedizin
The Preis der Deutschen Hochschulmedizin (German University Medicine Prize) is awarded by the German Association of Medical Faculties (MFT) and the Association of German University Hospitals (VUD), whose umbrella organization is Deutsche Hochschulmedizin e.V. It honors outstanding team achievements in university medical research, in particular innovation and the translation of research results into patient care. Preis der Deutschen Hochschulmedizin - Deutsche Hochschulmedizin e.V.
Further information can be found at: www.tmepharma.com.
1 NCT04121455 - GLORIA study on clinicaltrials.gov
2Press release of MFT and VUD, “Neuer Ansatz gegen aggressive Gehirntumore: GLORIA-Team erhält Preis der Deutschen Hochschulmedizin 2026,” Berlin, October 22, 2026.
3 Giordano et al 2024, Nature Comm 15:4210, Giordano 2024
Giordano et al. 2026, Nature Comm 17:3405, Giordano 2026
Attachment
