Intelligent nanotherapeutics enable targeted synergistic therapy against glioblastoma

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most challenging type of brain tumor, which cannot be completely cured by standard care strategies, such as surgery, radiation, and chemo-drugs. One of the major reasons is the high potency of GBM cells to spread to normal healthy brain tissue to develop tumor migration. Here we propose a novel design of magnetic particles that are able to specifically travel to brain tumor, attracted by the acidic environment in the tumor. By doing so, these particles deliver sufficient therapeutic molecules to tumor cells to regulate certain genes in charge of tumor cell migration, which finally inhibits the spread of tumor cells to healthy brain tissue. Additionally, the particles can spin under magnetic fields to damage tumor cell structure and cause tumor cell death. By combining the two effects together, we can prevent brain tumor cells from spreading to normal tissues and selectively kill them. The successful completion of this proposal will provide a new platform based on nanotechnology to advance clinical application of gene medicine, and a novel therapeutic approach in brain tumor treatment to inhibit both tumor growth and spread, which may significantly increase the chance to prolong the survival of brain tumor patients. More importantly, this novel approach has great flexibility to target various types of therapeutic molecules to the brain tumor to address the current major issues in the treatment of GBM.