A New gel-based treatment for Glioblastoma

New Therapy Found to Prevent Aggressive Brain Cancer Recurrence in Mice

A new gel-based treatment for glioblastoma—a particularly lethal form of brain cancer—has shown promise in the lab.

By Adrianna Nine April 27, 2023

CT brain scan showing a glioblastoma tumor. 

Glioblastoma mass shown on a CT scan. Credit: Dr. P Marazzi/Science Photo Library/Getty Images

A new gel-based treatment for glioblastoma—a highly aggressive form of brain cancer—has shown to be 100% effective at preventing recurrence in mice. Researchers hope the therapy will translate well into human physiology, where it could help resolve tens of thousands of cancer diagnoses every year.

Glioblastoma manifests as a tumor growing on the brain or spinal cord. While many glioblastoma patients have the tumor surgically removed, the mass often returns, even in cases involving post-surgical radiation or chemotherapy. The disease is so persistent that the average patient lives only 12 to 16 months after diagnosis, making glioblastoma one of the most lethal forms of cancer currently understood.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are working to improve patients’ life expectancies using an injectable gel that blocks cancer’s path. According to a paper published Tuesday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the gel is made up of nano-sized filaments derived from the drug paclitaxel, which is used alongside chemotherapy to treat other forms of cancer. The gel serves as a vehicle for aCD47, an antibody that prompts macrophages to ingest tumor cells.   ... '