Brain Tumors Now Accessible With New Chemo Delivery System

Brain tumors usually kill patients due to the chemo’s difficulty crossing the blood brain barrier.  A new delivery system can now deliver drugs more effectively to the tumor.

Brain Tumors: New Chemo Delivery System  

Scientists at The University of Tokyo developed a shell into which the chemo drug, epirubicin was inserted. The shell is surrounded with cRGD peptides that can cross the blood brain barrier and attach to the cancer cells.

Because this targeting effect is specific, the chemo drug penetrates through the blood-brain barrier and reaches the tumor.

In a study on laboratory mice, the researchers managed to deliver epirubicin deeper into cancerous tumors compared to when the medication was delivered without attaching the cRGD peptides.

This new chemo brain delivery system brings hope that brain tumors can be treated more effectively.