Brain Cancer Drugs Delivered by ‘Electrojet’

Researchers at Penn State are figuring out a way to deliver drugs in uniform capsules as an easier and more controlled method of brain cancer treatment. Brain cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Typical treatment includes invasive tumor resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy treatment targeting brain tumors is difficult because drugs don’t easily cross the blood-brain barrier. This necessitates the need for higher doses than are standard and causes increased side effects. A new method of drug delivery builds on current treatments where drug “wafers” are left at the tumor sites during surgery. The wafers run out quickly, however, and repetitive surgery would be hard on patients. The Penn State team is developing a method that also specifically targets drugs to brain tumors but encapsulates the drugs into consistently uniform microcapsules designed to control time of drug release through altering polymer composition. The tiny capsules are injectable through the skull so surgery is not needed. Hopefully development of this drug delivery method will not only make cancer treatment easier on patients but also increase survival rates of this deadly disease.