coated therapy boosted survival against deadly brain cancer by 50% in mice
News
– A new experimental treatment may have found a way to outsmart glioblastomaâs toughest defense: the blood-brain barrier. Researchers used sugar-coated nanoparticles to ferry genetic instructions that restore a key tumor-suppressing protein directly into brain cancer cells. In mouse studies, the therapy increased median survival by 50% while shrinking tumors without noticeable damage to other organs.
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a promising experimental strategy for treating glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Fewer than 30% of patients survive for two years after diagnosis.
Details
The work, led by Oleh Taratula, Olena Taratula and Yoon Tae Goo of the OSU College of Pharmacy, focuses on two major problems that have long limited glioblastoma treatment. First, therapies must cross the blood-brain barrier, a tightly controlled network of cells that protects the central nervous system from substances circulating in the bloodstream. Second, the treatment must reach tumor cells without affecting healthy tissue.
Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Target Brain Tumors
In a mouse model, the researchers tested lipid nanoparticles filled with genetic material designed to restore the body’s ability to suppress tumor growth. The particles were then covered with a sugar coating that helped them enter the brain and concentrate inside tumors.
Analysis
According to findings published in the Journal of Controlled Release, the approach increased median survival time by 50% in mice with glioblastoma.
The sugar used in the coating was mannose, which is closely related to glucose, the body’s main energy source. Cells lining blood vessels in the brain contain a transporter called GLUT1 that normally carries glucose into the central nervous system. GLUT1 can also recognize mannose, allowing the coated nanoparticles to use the same pathway to cross the blood-brain barrier.
“Blood contains relatively high concentrations of glucose, and that’s what the nanoparticles are competing against for GLUT1’s attention,” Oleh Taratula said. “For the nanoparticles to get it, they need a densely coated sugar surface, and that’s our central innovation. By chemically connecting mannose to cholesterol, a major structural component of the nanoparticles, we improved surface coverage sixfold.”
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