285 Glioblastoma Clinical Trials Recruiting Now (September 2026): GBM, MGMT, TTFields, GammaTile, CAR-T

Last updated: September 3, 2026

Current Clinical Trial Landscape

Key Biomarkers for Trial Eligibility

Most GBM trials require specific biomarker information. Knowing your status helps match you to the right trial:

• IDH status — Under the WHO 2021 CNS tumor classification, glioblastoma is defined as IDH-wildtype only. What used to be called "IDH-mutant GBM" is now classified as IDH-mutant astrocytoma (grade 4) — a separate disease with different biology and trial eligibility. If your pathology report says IDH-mutant, the trials on this page may not apply; look for astrocytoma- or IDH-mutant-glioma-specific studies (vorasidenib was approved by the FDA in August 2024 for residual or recurrent grade 2 IDH-mutant glioma after surgery — it is not a GBM drug).
• EGFRvIII — Present in ~25-30% of GBM. Target for CAR-T therapies (including synNotch dual-targeting designs) and vaccine approaches.
• Newly diagnosed vs recurrent — Very different trial menus. Newly-diagnosed trials add agents to Stupp; recurrent trials test CAR-T, BBB-opening, focused ultrasound, and reirradiation.

The Evidence Behind Glioblastoma Standard of Care

Two landmark randomized trials define the current standard for newly-diagnosed GBM — the baseline that today's trials build on. Knowing these numbers helps you weigh a trial against established care.

MGMT promoter methylation is the key predictive biomarker: tumors with a methylated MGMT promoter respond substantially better to temozolomide, and it stratifies most newly-diagnosed GBM trials. Ask whether your tumor has been tested.

Sources: Stupp et al., N Engl J Med 2005 (chemoradiation); Stupp et al., JAMA 2017 (EF-14 Tumor Treating Fields, NCT00916409). Figures describe IDH-wildtype glioblastoma; individual survival varies with age, performance status, extent of resection, and MGMT status.

Recruiting Trials by Treatment Setting

Newly Diagnosed GBM — Added to Standard Chemoradiation

Trials adding novel agents to the Stupp protocol (surgery + RT/TMZ). Several Phase 3 trials are open, with new Phase 3 entrants in early 2026:

• NCT05052957 - hSTAR: Chemoprotection with P140K-MGMT to allow TMZ dose escalation in MGMT-unmethylated GBM (Phase 2)

Immunotherapy + chemoradiation:

• NCT06556563 - EF-41/KEYNOTE D58: TTFields + TMZ + pembrolizumab vs TTFields + TMZ (Phase 3)
  Prior evidence (preliminary, being confirmed): the phase 2 2-THE-TOP study (26 evaluable patients) reported median overall survival 24.8 vs 14.6 months and PFS 12.0 vs 5.8 months by adding pembrolizumab — but only against small, case-matched, non-randomized controls, so it is a promising signal rather than proof. This randomized phase 3 is designed to test whether it holds. 2-THE-TOP, Med 2025.
• NCT06991101 - Ruxolitinib (JAK1/2 inhibitor) + RT/TMZ vs RT/TMZ alone (Phase 2, randomized)
• NCT05664464 - Gabapentin (glutamate inhibitor) added to standard chemoradiation (Phase 1b/2)

Vaccine therapies:

• NCT06805305 - DOC1021 dendritic cell immunotherapy (Phase 2)

Radiation innovations:

• NCT07195591 - GammaTile placed at the time of GBM resection vs standard of care (Phase 3; immediate brachytherapy seeds at the tumor cavity at the time of surgery)
• NCT07459101 - MR-Linac guided adaptive radiotherapy for high-grade glioma (interventional, no phase listed)

Temozolomide modifications:

• NCT06419946 - Lomustine + TMZ/RT for MGMT-methylated GBM (Phase 3)
  Prior evidence (being confirmed): the earlier CeTeG/NOA-09 phase 3 in newly-diagnosed MGMT-methylated GBM reported median overall survival of 48.1 vs 31.4 months for lomustine + temozolomide vs temozolomide alone — but it was a smaller trial and the difference was borderline (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.35–1.03), which is why this larger confirmatory phase 3 is being run. Herrlinger et al., Lancet 2019.
• NCT03213002 - CAPTEM: Capecitabine + temozolomide combination

Drug-delivery / vascular approaches:

• NCT05271240 - Repeated superselective intraarterial cerebral infusion (SIACI) of bevacizumab + TMZ/RT vs TMZ/RT alone in newly diagnosed GBM (Phase 3)

Other novel agents:

• NCT05669820 - Antisecretory factor for newly-diagnosed GBM (Phase 2/3)
• NCT07605364 - Mycophenolate mofetil added to RT + TMZ for advanced/newly-diagnosed GBM (Phase 2/3, opens summer 2026 — not yet recruiting, watch this one)

Platform / adaptive trials:

• NCT03970447 - GBM AGILE: Adaptive platform testing multiple agents simultaneously (Phase 2/3)
• NCT02977780 - INSIGhT: Biomarker-driven individualized therapy platform

Recurrent / Progressive GBM

After progression on standard chemoradiation — this is where the most novel approaches are being tested. Multiple new Phase 3 entrants in early 2026:

• Phase 3 trials in recurrent / progressive disease:
  • NCT05904119 - Lomustine with vs without reirradiation for first progression of GBM (Phase 3, randomized)
  • NCT05902169 - Sonocloud-9 (BBB-opening ultrasound) + carboplatin vs standard-of-care chemotherapies (CCNU or TMZ) in recurrent GBM (Phase 3, focused ultrasound to enhance drug delivery)
  • NCT06496971 - Avastin (bevacizumab) with or without microbubble-mediated focused ultrasound (NaviFUS) — pivotal study in recurrent GBM (Phase 3)
  • NCT07100730 - TLX101-Tx (131I-iodinated targeted radiotherapy) + standard of care vs SOC alone in recurrent GBM (Phase 3)
• CAR-T cell therapy:
  • NCT07180927 - DLL3-targeted CAR-T for brain tumors (Phase 1/2)
  • NCT06186401 - Anti-EGFRvIII synNotch CAR-T (E-SYNC; conditional activation that turns on an anti-EphA2/IL-13Rα2 CAR only inside the tumor, Phase 1)
• Immunotherapy combinations:
  • NCT06160206 - Retifanlimab + bevacizumab + hypofractionated RT in recurrent GBM (Phase 2)
• Local / surgical therapies:
  • NCT07145112 - LITT (laser interstitial thermal therapy) + lomustine for recurrent GBM (Phase 1)
• Recurrent / progressive — MGMT-methylated:
  • NCT05432804 - Selinexor + temozolomide for recurrent IDH-wildtype or MGMT-methylated GBM (Phase 1/2)

Showing selected notable trials. View all 285 recruiting interventional trials on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions