Findings & Breakthroughs

Out of thousands of compounds tested, one binds brachyury (TBXT) strongly enough to cross the challenge threshold, confirmed in 3+ repeat tests (Sep 11, 2026). Brachyury is in every chordoma, is essential for tumor survival, and is absent from normal tissue, but it has been considered 'undruggable'. More prizes remain, including a tougher second threshold.

The consensus update for primary localized chordoma is now published, written by 150+ experts from 90 institutions in 20+ countries. The patient version is on the Chordoma Foundation site.

The CF lab found that second-generation CDK7 and CDK9 inhibitors don't lower brachyury, while blocking CDK12/13 does, killing cells in 5 models. The Foundation is in talks with a company that has CDK12/13 inhibitors about a possible future trial.

Brachyury pieces shown on the tumor surface can be targeted with vaccines, antibodies, and T-cell approaches. The new Mark Foundation for Cancer Research partnership funds grants in 2027.

One trial design will test several drugs. Arms start at about 12 patients and grow to about 30 with a signal. Pooled data from 12 past trials serves as the comparison group, so fewer patients are randomized. It opens first at about 4-6 US sites.

Most patients at leading centers now get gross total resection. At 10-15 years, tumors return much later after total removal than after partial removal, and near-total removal isn't as good. The old '7-year median survival' figure is outdated.

In a Mayo series, about half of patients with recurrence were alive at 5 years. Those who could have surgery plus radiation for the recurrence had a median survival of about 10 years.