How Discoveries Become Cures, In Virtuous Cycle

After Eduart Cuka's glioblastoma diagnosis in October 2023, he endured an onslaught of treatments. And still, his aggressive brain tumor grew.

He knew that the average life expectancy with glioblastoma was measured in months, not years. For decades, glioblastoma has been seen as an incurable disease that almost always comes back. Yet Cuka's faith was unshakeable.

"I'm going to beat this," he promised his tearful wife, Juliana, when they first heard his diagnosis.

After exhausting standard treatments, the 54-year-old father of two had one option left: a clinical trial led by his oncologist, Stephen Bagley, MD, MSCE, an assistant professor of Hematology-Oncology and Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine. The Cukas learned how Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center pioneered CAR T cell therapy, which genetically modifies and multiplies a patient's own immune cells to turn them into supercharged cancer-fighting machines. The treatment works well on some blood cancers. But how would it work on the nastiest of brain cancers? Eduart Cuka volunteered to help scientists answer that question.

In July 2024, Bagley injected 10 million CAR T cells into Eduart's cerebrospinal fluid. The treatment reduced his tumor—a remarkable success for recurrent glioblastoma—and bought him another eight months before a scan revealed that the cancer was growing again.

Bagley recommended another CAR T infusion in March 2025, this time with a higher dose. A follow-up scan in June 2025 brought joyful news: The tumor had shrunk. Just a few days later, Eduart and Juliana were able to attend their son's college graduation together.

"It hasn't been an easy journey, but we couldn't have done this without the amazing team at Penn," said Juliana. "They really work tirelessly for their patients and on the research to find cures."

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