2023-10-31 07:00:04
Brain cancer is one of the medical challenges of our time. Among the different forms of this disease, glioblastoma, affecting several thousand people each year in France, is particularly formidable. Unfortunately, current treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, and chemotherapy are the use of certain chemical substances to treat disease…. and radiotherapy, often prove ineffective. Indeed, an invisible barrier, the blood-brain barrier, represents a major obstacle for the delivery of drugs to the brain. organ of the central nervous system of animals. The brain processes…). However, a new drug delivery technique, developed by researchers at the University whose objective is…) from Texas to Dallas and the University of Texas Medical Center Southwest (Southwest is the direction halfway between the southern and western cardinal points. The.. .), offers new hope.
The blood-brain barrier is a unique protective barrier located within the blood vessels of the brain. Incredibly thin, with a thickness of just one micron, this barrier prevents 98% of molecules from entering the brain. For comparison, a human hair has a diameter of 70 microns. This barrier acts as a very selective filter and protects the brain from unwanted substances.
Dr. Zhenpeng Qin, professor of mechanical engineering and researcher at the School of Engineering functions ranging from design and studies to…) and computer science (Computer science – contraction of information and automatic – is the field…) Erik Jonsson, led the research (Scientific research designates firstly all the actions undertaken with a view…) aimed at overcoming this barrier. Its innovative method involves using gold nanoparticles targeting blood vessels to co-deliver drugs. Concretely, these nanoparticles are injected into the patient’s blood, then activated by laser pulses which pass through the skull. This generates thermomechanical waves, temporarily rendering the blood-brain barrier permeable, allowing drugs to reach their target.
The first tests carried out on mice were promising: their tumors shrank in size, and their survival increased by more than 50%! The researchers were able to overcome this major challenge by administering paclitaxel to rodents, a chemotherapeutic drug commonly used to treat breast cancer. ovary, breast and lung in particular. Used in combination with their drug delivery method, paclitaxel was able to cross the barrier and reach brain tumors.
Although the results obtained in mice are promising, years of research will be necessary before this method can be tested in humans. Additional preclinical studies are underway to refine this revolutionary approach.
The researchers are optimistic regarding the implications of their work. This breakthrough might open new perspectives for the treatment of diseases of the brain and central nervous system. Dr. Qin received crucial financial support from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas to continue his research. This scientific breakthrough might well mark the start of a revolution in the treatment of brain diseases, offering renewed hope for patients with glioblastoma and other brain conditions.
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