A nanoparticle developed by researchers at the University of Queensland can deliver a chemotherapy drug to aggressive, rapidly growing brain tumors.
The new silica nanoparticle can be loaded with temozolomide, a small-molecule drug used to treat glioblastoma, according to Dr. Taskeen Janjua, the lead researcher on the research team.
“This chemotherapy drug has limits — it doesn’t remain in that frame of mind for extremely long, it very well may be pushed out of the cerebrum, and it doesn’t have a high entrance from blood into the cerebrum,” Dr. Janjua said.
“We developed an ultra-small, large-pore nanoparticle to help the drug move through the blood-brain barrier and penetrate the tumor while minimizing unwanted patient side effects to make the drug more effective.
“This chemotherapeutic medication has drawbacks, including a low blood-brain barrier penetration rate, a short blood half-life, and a propensity to be pushed out of the brain.”
Research team lead Dr. Taskeen Janjua from UQ’s School of Pharmacy
“This strategy may be a more efficient method for treating brain cancer and preventing its recurrence.”
The nanoparticle conveyance was tested utilizing 3D spheroids, multi-cell structures made to imitate the cerebrum’s growth cell reactions and cooperations.
According to the findings of the study, the nanoparticles successfully accumulated in the brains of mice within a few hours without causing any harm to vital organs.
Every year, thousands of people are affected by brain cancer, which has a survival rate of less than 23%.
According to data from Cancer Australia, it was the ninth most common cause of death from cancer in Australia in 2020.
According to Associate Professor Amirali Popat, co-author of the study, the results are encouraging for people with brain cancer, despite the need for additional research.
According to Dr. Popat’s statement, “This innovative drug delivery system has the potential to improve the effectiveness of brain cancer treatment and could lead to new and better treatments for this devastating disease.”
“This preclinical examination will speed up future clinical improvement of a promising wellbeing innovation and further the objective of further developing results for patients with cerebrum malignant growth.”
UQ School of Drug Store specialists teamed up with partners from UQ’s Australian Foundation for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and The College of New South Grains to convey the examination.
The Journal of Controlled Release is where it appears.
More information: Taskeen Iqbal Janjua et al, Efficient delivery of Temozolomide using ultrasmall large-pore silica nanoparticles for glioblastoma, Journal of Controlled Release (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.03.040
