NANOPARTICLES IMPROVE DRUG THERAPY FOR CANCER

Medulloblastoma, which accounts for 20% of all pediatric brain tumours, is the second most frequent malignant brain tumour. The cerebellum, located near the back of the brain, is where it develops. Just 70% of the individuals with this malignancy have made a full recovery. Moreover, the effects of radiation and chemotherapy might cause even successful treatments to result in long-term disability and health problems.

One method of treatment involved site-directed drug delivery to the brain tissues damaged by the tumour, but this was complicated by the blood brain barrier (BBB), which protects the brain from toxins and infections. As a result, patients experienced negative clinical outcomes. Researchers have employed fucoidan-based nanoparticles to circumvent this barrier by encapsulating low therapeutic doses of vismodegib(FiVis),an anti cancer medicine used for the study which have obtained efficient outcomes.

Instead of being dispersed randomly throughout the body, immune cells can employ the homing mechanism on active blood arteries to move to the regions of the body where they are most needed. Using this unique homing property, also found in brain tumour blood vessels, the researchers were able to target their drug-loaded fucoidan-based nanoparticles to the disease site and away from healthy brain regions.Also, this method has revolutionized the management of other juvenile brain tumours as well as locally based illnesses such focal epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders that affect both children and adults.

References:

1. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/drug-discovery/nanoparticles-target-medulloblastoma-tumor-to-improve-drug-therapy-and-reduce-toxicity/

2. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/childrens-cancer/brain-tumours/types/medulloblastoma