Glioblastoma in Mice Eliminated Through Nanoparticles

In the field of brain cancer research, Glioblastoma is considered to be the most aggressive form, in which the tumour spreads to the surrounding brain tissue thereby causing greater difficulty to be removed surgically or be treated through radiation or chemotherapy.

Scientists at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have merged the tumour targeting peptide, tumour cell destroying peptide and a nanoparticle that accelerates the death of tumour cells also enabling the researchers to image the same.

This nanosystem features the nanoparticle that acts like the host of the marker for identifying the tumourus cells linked with these two peptides. The targeting peptide guides the nanoparticle to the tumour cells through the blood vessels. The tumour cells then are binded, which in turn renders them to be identified from the other normal cells through surface markers. The targeting peptide drives this entire system across the tumour and the tumour cell destroying the peptide attacks the mitochondria of the tumour cells, which kills them through a process called apoptosis.

This potent combination of peptides and nanoparticles was utilized to treat mice in two models. The mice, which were subjected to this treatment were having a considerable longer life span than the ones without. The nanoparticles are made of iron oxide, which can be captured easily using the MRI while they are attached to the tumour cells, which aids in the detection of Glioblastoma.

Finally, the researchers made a whole new nanosystem even more potent with the introduction of the third peptide called iRGD. Its function is to administer the drugs deep into the tumour tissue significantly increasing the nanoparticle penetration and its efficiency.