A group of scientists lead by B.S. Satish Rao, Professor at the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) and his doctoral student, Suma Prabhu, recently engineered a multifunctional nanocomposite carrying anticancer drug, Temozolamide to target glioblastoma (tumour of the brain).
A statement issued by Manipal University here recently stated that the super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were functionalised by tagging ligand such as transferrin protein, which helps to cross the blood brain barrier.
Another protein, the Nestin anti-body was attached to preferentially target tumour cells.
Mouse brain
The study consisted of exposing human glial tumour cells grown in the mouse brain.
The mice were treated with the nano engineered drug. It was observed that the engineered drug could easily cross the blood brain barrier and that it preferentially concentrated in tumours sparing the other healthy tissues surrounding tumour cells.
This has been published in the recent issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry, U.K.’s journal “Nanoscale”.
The work was financially supported by School of Life Sciences and Manipal University in the form of a structured Ph.D fellowship to Ms. Prabhu for her doctoral program under the mentorship of Dr. Rao in collaboration with N. Udupa, Srinivas Mutalik from Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MCOPS), Sharada Rai from Kasturba Medical College, Mangaluru, as well as Jayant Sastri Goda, Pardeep Chaudhari, Bhabani Shankar Mohanty form ACTREC, Mumbai.
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive, heterogeneous form of brain tumour, accounting for 80% of all glial neoplasms. Primarily, the factors such as diffusion constraints of Blood Brain Barrier junctional proteins, resistant stem cell niche, normal tissue associated toxicity and intrinsic drug resistance further limits the success of treatment.
It is in this scenario there is a need for an efficient platform for the delivery of chemotherapeutics specifically to the site of cancer, the release further added.