The blood-brain barrier is made up of blood vessels that tightly regulate the movement of molecules (such as drugs) and cells between the blood and the brain. It helps protect the body from infections and things that may cause our brain harm during daily life. However, what protects us in health becomes a problem during a disease process, and for brain tumour treatment, there are challenges in getting drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain. Research is underway to try and address this issue.
Why is the blood-brain barrier a challenge for brain tumour treatment?
- – It limits how well drugs can enter the brain
- – Many cancer treatments, like chemotherapy struggle to cross the blood-brain barrier. This means that even if the drugs are effective in other parts of the body, they may not reach the brain to kill tumour cells.
- – When treatments cross it, they may also damage healthy brain tissue, leading to side effects that can impact quality of life.
- – Studying the blood-brain barrier in the context of brain tumours is complicated, which makes it challenging to develop and test new therapies effectively.
How can our research help overcome these challenges?
Currently, there are limited treatment options for people facing a brain tumour diagnosis. Funding research is crucial if we are to overcome these challenges and find more effective treatments for all types of brain tumour.
At The Brain Tumour Charity, we fund leading researchers who dedicate their careers to understanding brain tumours, how to treat them and how to improve people’s quality of life.
One example of the work we fund to help drugs cross the blood-brain barrier is Dr Jun Ishihara’s research at Imperial College London.
Promising research into crossing the blood-brain barrier
Dr Ishihara is pioneering the use of polymer nanotechnology to help improve brain tumour treatment. This technology uses tiny particles that are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver treatments to the brain. As part of Jun’s research, these particles will help deliver immunotherapy to the brain to help treat glioblastoma.
Jun and his team are focussing on a protein called interleukin 12 (or IL-12) which has demonstrated anti-tumour activity against glioblastoma cells and has long been studied as a possible immunotherapy treatment for cancer. The team has adapted IL-12 by adding a collagen-binding site. This delivers the treatment directly to the tumour as collagen is an abundant energy source for rapidly multiplying cells. They are then using their novel nanotechnology approach to ensure this treatment can cross the blood-brain barrier.
Dr. Jun Ishihara
Jun is a Lecturer in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London. His laboratory works in the field of protein engineering, in research areas including cancer immunotherapy, autoimmunity, and regenerative medicine.