Targeting Glioblastoma Stem Cells... Development of a Therapeutic Agent That Increases Anticancer Effect by 136%

Yonsei University College of Medicine and Severance Hospital Research Team

Develops Tumor-Based Platform to Monitor Chemotherapy Response After Surgery

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A domestic research team has developed a treatment that enhances the therapeutic effect of glioblastoma chemotherapy by targeting cancer stem cells.

Professors Seong Hak-jun and Yoo Seung-eun from the Department of Medical Engineering at Yonsei University College of Medicine, researcher Baek Se-um, and the neurosurgery research team of Professors Kang Seok-gu and Yoon Seon-jin at Severance Hospital announced on the 14th that they have developed a carrier that increases the therapeutic effect of glioblastoma chemotherapy by 136%.

Glioblastoma is a cancer that occurs in brain nerve cells, progresses rapidly, and is difficult to treat, making it one of the worst cancers. The average survival period for patients is 18 months, and the 5-year survival rate is less than 3%. For treatment, radiation and chemotherapy must be administered within 14 days after surgery. Due to rapid metastasis, the effectiveness of chemotherapy is lower compared to other cancer types.

To address these characteristics of glioblastoma, the research team developed a treatment that delivers chemotherapy drugs to brain cancer stem cells to enhance therapeutic effects, along with a brain cancer miniature model to monitor responses to radiation and chemotherapy.

When the research team administered the developed treatment, there was less movement of cancer cells.

First, they cultured tumor tissue obtained from surgery to create a miniature model that replicates the actual brain tumor environment. Until now, miniatures used to verify the effects of radiation and chemotherapy on glioblastoma have utilized patient cells. The tumor culturing method had about a 69% higher success rate than existing cell culturing methods and shortened the culturing period by approximately 3 weeks. Especially in glioblastoma, where follow-up treatment is continued within 2 weeks after surgery, this tumor culturing method shortens the miniature production period, enabling personalized treatment for patients.

Next, they developed a treatment by producing 'nanovesicles' derived from brain tumor stem cells to deliver drugs. Nanovesicles are nano-sized carriers capable of stably packaging DNA, RNA, and other substances for drug delivery. The research team discovered cancer stem cells detaching from the tissue when tumors were cultured for more than 21 days and targeted these cells. As a result, when only chemotherapy drugs were administered to tumor tissue, the anticancer effect was 22%, but when combined with the treatment developed by the research team, it increased to 52%. Professor Kang explained the significance of this study, stating, "We have established a foundation for personalized treatment in glioblastoma, where rapid metastasis had previously resulted in lower chemotherapy effectiveness compared to other cancers."

This study was published in the latest issue of the international academic journal in the field of biomaterials, Advanced Healthcare Materials (IF 11.092).

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