Iontronic Technology Shows Promise in Slowing Malignant Brain Tumor Growth
Iontronic technology offers new hope for treating severe brain cancers, especially malignant brain tumors that are tough to tackle.
Continuous Drug Delivery: A Game Changer
Researchers from Linköping University, Sweden, and the Medical University of Graz, Austria, have discovered that using iontronic pumps to deliver low doses of cancer drugs continuously near brain tumors can significantly reduce cancer cell growth. This promising finding was revealed through experiments on bird embryos, as published in the Journal of Controlled Release.
The Challenge of Brain Tumors
Malignant brain tumors frequently recur despite treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. This happens because cancer cells can hide deep within tissues and regrow. Additionally, most effective drugs can't pass through the blood-brain barrier, a protective shield that prevents many substances in the blood from reaching the brain. This limits the options available to treat aggressive brain cancers.
Proven Concept
In 2021, the research group demonstrated that an iontronic pump could locally administer drugs and inhibit cell growth in a petri dish for a malignant brain cancer called glioblastoma. Recently, they advanced this technology by testing it on living tumors growing in undeveloped bird embryos.
Effective Local Treatment
When glioblastoma cells were exposed to continuous low doses of a potent drug called gemcitabine using an iontronic pump, the growth of cancer cells reduced significantly. Daniel Simon, a professor of organic electronics at Linköping University, explains, "We can see that the pump administers the drug very effectively. Even though it's a simplified model, we can say with greater certainty that this method works."
Towards Human Application
Future treatment for glioblastoma might involve surgically implanting an iontronic device directly into the brain, close to the tumor. This would allow for the targeted delivery of low doses of medicine, bypassing the blood-brain barrier and minimizing side effects by keeping chemotherapy localized.
Treatment for Various Cancer Forms
Researchers also hope iontronics can be used for other hard-to-treat cancers. Theresia Arbring Sjöström from the Laboratory for Organic Electronics at Linköping University notes, "The materials and control systems in iontronics can continuously deliver a high concentration of medication locally, making the treatment very persistent, something the tumor cannot hide from."
Continuous Vs. Daily Dosing
The team compared continuous drug delivery using the pump to once-daily dosing, which resembles current chemotherapy administration methods. They found that continuous ionic treatment decreased tumor growth, while the daily-dose approach did not, even with a stronger dose.
More Research Needed
These experiments used bird embryos at an early developmental stage, which serve as a bridge to larger animal experiments. Linda Waldherr, a researcher at the Medical University of Graz, highlights that "certain biological systems function similarly to those in living animals, such as blood vessel formation, but without the need for surgical implants yet."
Future Prospects
Human trials could start within five to ten years, but the next steps include developing materials for surgical implantation of iontronic pumps and conducting experiments on rats and larger animals to further evaluate this treatment method.
By pushing the boundaries of current cancer treatments, iontronic technology could become a transformative approach in battling aggressive forms of brain cancer and potentially other difficult-to-treat cancers in the near future.
