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Melbourne: Researchers in Australia are developing a new class of cancer drugs that can break through the blood-brain barrier, a protective shield that currently blocks most drugs from ever entering the brain.
The national project, which has received 18.8 million Australian dollars (about 13.54 million U.S. dollars) in government funding, aims to develop brain-penetrating drugs that can overcome one of the biggest barriers to brain cancer treatment, according to a statement released recently by Australia's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI).
The blood-brain barrier strictly controls what can enter the brain to prevent toxins and infections from passing through, blocking around 98 percent of cancer drugs from reaching brain tissue, essential to maintaining the brain's overall health, the statement said.
Researchers plan to "hijack" the blood-brain barrier's natural nutrient delivery pathways to "smuggle cancer-killing molecules into the brain," said lead investigator Associate Professor Jim Whittle, a WEHI laboratory head.
The brain relies on the natural delivery systems to transport essential nutrients such as iron and glucose from the bloodstream. Cells in the blood-brain barrier contain specialized "docking stations" that recognize and actively draw these nutrients into the brain, according to researchers.
The approach could unlock a new class of brain-penetrating drugs and create an opportunity to test existing cancer drugs that have previously failed to reach the brain, Whittle said.
The researchers said the team will initially target high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma in adults and diffuse midline glioma in children.
