A promising way to treat glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, has been developed. It is based on nanostructures that deliver a powerful immunotherapy drug directly to the brain through ordinary nasal drops.
Glioblastoma is difficult to treat: drugs struggle to reach the brain through the blood-brain barrier, and the immune system barely “sees” it. The new development addresses both of these problems. Spherical nucleic acids travel through the nose to the tumor and activate the STING immune pathway, prompting the body to recognize and attack cancer cells. In mouse experiments, after just one or two administrations, the tumors disappeared completely, and the immune system formed lasting protection against recurrence.
Where similar results previously required surgery or direct injections into the brain, now a few drops in the nose are enough. The drug accumulates only in the tumor, does not affect healthy tissues, and does not cause systemic side effects.
The scientists emphasize that this is not a “magic cure,” and cancer can still adapt. Still, the fact that the therapy may work gently, locally, and effectively is encouraging. Human clinical trials are still to come.
