Clinically, patients with glioblastoma are usually treated with surgical resection of the tumor combined with postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, due to the particularity of the tumor location, extended excision cannot be performed, which leads to the inability to completely remove highly invasive cancer cells. The residual glioma stem cells (GSCs) would proliferate rapidly, causing the comeback of cancer.
Recently, Hu and coworkers have developed an injectable hydrogel that can be used to prevent the relapse of glioblastoma and prolong the survival rate of patients. Specifically, they injected hydrogels loaded with nanoparticles into the brain cavity after surgery. The medicine was slowly released into the brain tissues and can change the role of macrophages in the tumor environment. Normally, macrophages eliminate threats in the body by engulfing pathogens, but in tumor areas, the function of macrophages changes dramatically, becoming conducive to tumor growth. Hence, Hu and colleagues designed nanoparticles that can correct the role of macrophages in the tumor. After modification, macrophages can specifically recognize CD133 protein, a cancer stem cell marker. Moreover, they further added the CD47 antibody to prohibit macrophages from receiving the blocking signal from tumor cells so that they can better recognize and kill cancer cells.
Fig.1 Schematic illustration of the strategy. (Chen, et al., 2022)
Hu’s team has demonstrated the feasibility of this hydrogel in the treatment of glioblastoma in animals using mouse models. They are now testing the hydrogel's effectiveness and bio-toxicity in larger animal models. And based on how the hydrogel works, it could also be used to treat other aggressive tumors. Once systematically validated, this hydrogel is very promising in the postoperative treatment of cancers.
Reference
For Research Use Only.
