Scientists from the Institute of Biology and Biomedicine at the National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky and Ghent University in Belgium have discovered a method to enhance the efficacy of the chemotherapeutic drug temozolomide (Temodal) in treating aggressive brain tumors, specifically glioblastomas. They proposed targeting multiple pathways of glioblastoma cell death simultaneously, thus reducing the likelihood of drug resistance, Izvestia writes.
Temozolomide (Temodal) is commonly utilized for glioblastomas due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and directly target tumor cells. And its side effects can be managed during clinical treatment. However, its effectiveness is frequently compromised as glioblastoma cells develop resistance to the treatment.
Targeting multiple pathways of cell death potentially launches various lethal cellular cascades. This approach may not only improve treatment outcomes but also address functionally diverse cells within the tumor. The researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach on animal models.
The new strategy involves activating alternative cell death mechanisms that can stimulate the immune system to combat tumors. These mechanisms may incorporate additional medications and physical treatments, such as ultrasound, promoting an effective defense against drug-resistant cancer cells while fostering immune responses to prevent tumor recurrence.
Tatiana Mishchenko, the project’s leader and Associate Professor of the Department of Neurotechnology at the Institute of Biology and Biomedicine of the National Research University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted, «In the future, we plan to evaluate the effectiveness of combining temozolomide with an activator of an iron-dependent form of cell death, while also ensuring the safety of our approach concerning healthy brain cells. This will help us determine the viability of preclinical and eventual clinical trials in humans».
While experts have labeled the researchers’ findings as “intuitively clear,” they acknowledge that the concept of using nanocarriers for treating brain tumors is not new: it has been discussed for over a decade. They did not make any predictions, as the new approach is only to undergo safety trials in the future.