"Smart Drug" Therapy

Clinical Trial Offers Hope for Glioblastoma Patients

There is new hope for those diagnosed with glioblastoma. The Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch (CINN) is initiating a clinical trial that will test a promising new treatment for this highly malignant and rapidly growing form of brain cancer. CINN neurosurgeons will use a new drug delivery system designed to penetrate the blood brain barrier (BBB) and deliver “smart drug” therapy.

Until now, new high-tech cancer drugs were virtually useless against brain tumors because of the blood-brain barrier. Like an invisible wall, the BBB consists of a layer of specialized cells that line the blood vessels of the brain. These cells block the entry of any substances that might harm normal brain tissue. They also provide the brain with the nutrients it needs to function properly. The BBB strictly limits transport into the brain through both physical (tight junctions) and metabolic (enzymes) barriers. Very few substances can pass through. While the BBB is life-supporting protection for the brain, its existence severely limits the delivery of most drugs to the brain because they cannot cross in sufficient amounts.

The Phase II trial is taking place at Rush University Medical Center. It involves surgery to remove the brain tumor. After a short recovery the patient is returned to surgery for convection-enhanced delivery of “smart drug” therapy. Two burr holes are drilled into the skull through which two catheters are inserted into the brain. The “smart drug” is then infused into the tumor through the catheters, allowing higher concentrations of the drug to get to the tumor. These so-called smart drugs have the ability to target cancerous cells and have far less toxicity than conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

“Using this approach, we can get around the blood-brain barrier and deliver a lethal dose of medication directly to the tumor, while leaving normal brain cells unharmed,” says Dr. Richard W. Byrne, CINN neurosurgeon and lead investigator for the clinical trial. “This work is so important. With the proper delivery system, it’s possible that some of the latest cancer fighting drugs can also be effective against brain cancer.”

For more information about this clinical trial, please contact Michelle Catalano at 773-250-0500.