Target discovery
All future treatments for chordoma patients will depend on a deep understanding of the biology of our disease: what drives it and what its weaknesses are.
Our search for better treatments
Transformative new options are coming sooner than you think
Together, we’ve already changed much of what it means to face chordoma.
Yet the pressing need remains for better treatments. In the years ahead, our sights are set on treatments that can prevent recurrence, eliminate tumors rather than just slow their growth, and preserve patients’ quality of life. And thankfully, snowballing advances provide ever more tangible reasons to believe this is not only possible but probable.
Progress to date
When the Chordoma Foundation was founded in 2007, there was virtually no chordoma research being done and no infrastructure to enable it. Today, thanks to the extraordinary commitment of everyone affected by this disease, we've assembled a vibrant research community, created the scientific resources to make meaningful research happen, and seen therapies reach clinical trials. Our key achievements so far include:
Dozens of chordoma models developed
25+ disease targets revealed
250+ tumor samples collected
6,000 existing drugs screened
90+ drugs and combos tested preclinically
Helped 11 drugs reach clinical trials
Our next big leap
Chordoma Foundation Labs
In early 2022, we took the next step in accelerating new chordoma treatments by establishing our own laboratory. It's the first lab 100% dedicated to chordoma research, and our most powerful tool yet for progress.
Chordoma Foundation Labs is making it easier and more efficient to test new treatment ideas from anywhere in the world, and to significantly shorten the time from new biological insights to clinical trials.
Current strategies
For the first time, there's a credible path to far better treatments for chordoma patients — treatments that don’t just slow the disease down, but that have a real chance of enabling patients to get on with our lives. To achieve this ambitious goal at a pace that matches our shared sense of urgency, we're advancing a comprehensive research roadmap through multiple complementary initiatives that span every stage of treatment development.
Our investments to date, coupled with the new capabilities and speed afforded to us by Chordoma Foundation Labs, are leading to a rapid expansion of our clinical trials pipeline: This year and next, more well-justified therapeutic concepts will be ready to move from the lab into clinical trials than over the past five years combined.
Drug repurposing
Repurposing and repositioning existing drugs that may also work against chordoma allows us to bring new treatments to patients faster than developing new drugs from scratch.
Immunotherapy
Extraordinary advances are being made in the development of therapies that harness the immune system to fight cancer; our goal is to ensure that chordoma patients benefit from these powerful new approaches, too.
Brachyury drugs
A large body of research points to a protein called brachyury (also known as TBXT) as the key driver of chordoma and its most critical vulnerability. We're bringing every plausible technology to bear to create brachyury-targeting drugs.
Ensuring children benefit from our advances
Pediatric chordoma
Pediatric chordoma may differ in important ways compared to the disease in adults, so we’re working to better understand its potentially unique biology and determine the best treatment approaches for children.
To that end, we’re collecting precious pediatric chordoma tumor samples, testing drugs against pediatric chordoma models, and looking for new vulnerabilities to target.
Publications
View a list of research publications that have resulted from the Chordoma Foundation's work, resources, and support.
With adequate investment, new treatments are around the corner.
Tremendous ongoing support from everyone in our community makes us more optimistic than ever that we'll witness a completely new chordoma treatment landscape in our lifetimes. Thank you for giving patients and families real reasons for hope.
Latest research updates
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Education and resources
New clinical trial opens testing ERAS-601
The trial represents another exciting example of our ability to rapidly translate discoveries from the lab to patients, made possible by CF Labs and our partners and donors.
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Research
Major new initiative to accelerate TBXT (brachyury) targeted therapies
Our new prize competition aims to conquer one of the most formidable challenges in chordoma treatment: developing drugs that can effectively target TBXT, also known as brachyury.
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Taking action
Gratitude for milestones achieved together in 2024 — and what we need to do now
With your help, we'll seize unprecedented opportunities for chordoma patients to benefit from more and better treatment options.
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Education and resources
New chordoma clinical trial launches along with expanded support for patients
The trial aims to test whether two drugs, pemetrexed and pembrolizumab, could together have increased efficacy and improve patient outcomes beyond what has been observed for each drug alone.
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