A breakthrough in cancer treatment has been made by scientists at Northwestern University in the US, who have developed a method of temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier to allow chemotherapy drugs to reach the brain. The blood-brain barrier is a highly effective filter between the central nervous system and the bloodstream, protecting the brain from toxins and pathogens but also preventing most drugs from reaching the organ. This is particularly problematic in the case of glioblastoma, a type of brain tumour, as drugs that are highly effective in treating other cancers cannot reach the tumour. The researchers used an implantable mesh of nine ultrasound transmitters from French biotech firm Carthera to open the blood-brain barrier, increasing the concentration of drugs in the brain by four to six times. The treatment lasts just four minutes and patients are awake and able to leave hospital soon afterwards.
Until now, only the drug temozolomide has been used to treat brain tumours as it can cross the blood-brain barrier, but it is a weak drug. The new method has allowed highly effective drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel to reach the glioblastoma. In previous studies, paclitaxel had been applied directly to the human brain, but this was found to be linked to meningitis. The researchers are conducting a clinical phase-2 study to determine whether the new treatment can extend the lives of cancer patients when paclitaxel and carboplatin are administered together.
The researchers believe that the results of their study could lead to significant advances in the treatment of brain diseases. They have also discovered that the blood-brain barrier reconstitutes itself within 30 to 60 minutes of the ultrasound treatment, which will help determine the optimal time frame for administering drugs and activating ultrasound. The scientists are optimistic that their research will lead to new treatments for millions of patients suffering from different brain diseases.
