A nanoparticle and inhibitor trigger the immune system, outsmarting brain cancer

A nanoparticle and inhibitor trigger the immune system, outsmarting brain cancer

Scientists have fabricated a nanoparticle to deliver an inhibitor to brain tumor in mouse models, where the drug successfully turned on the immune system to eliminate the cancer. The process also triggered immune memory so that a reintroduced tumor was eliminated--a sign that this potential new approach could not only treat brain tumors but prevent or delay recurrences.

Outsmarting Brain Cancer: Using a Nanoparticle and Inhibitor To Trigger the Immune System

The approach, studied in mice, overcomes the blood-brain barrier and breaks the shield tumors build against the immune response. When researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center discovered a small molecule that blocked a key pathway in brain tumors, they were optimistic. But the

A nanoparticle and inhibitor trigger the immune system, outsmarting brain cancer

Scientists at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center were optimistic when they identified a small molecule that blocked a key pathway in brain tumors. But there was a problem: How to get the inhibitor through the bloodstream and into the brain to reach the tumor.

A Nanoparticle and Inhibitor Trigger the Immune System, Outsmarting Brain Cancer

Scientists at the University of Michigan fabricated a nanoparticle to deliver an inhibitor to brain tumor in mouse models, where the drug successfully turned on