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ssDNA Nanotubes Target Glioblastoma by Gina Wadas Glioblastoma is considered the most aggressive brain cancer. Even with treatment, patient survival rates are low, with most living an average of 15 to 18 months after diagnosis. Glioblastoma tumor’s highly diverse characteristics and location in the body make treating this disease challenging. “One hurdle to delivering treatments via the bloodstream is crossing the blood brain barrier (BBB), which protects the brain from toxins in the bloodstream, but can also block out large molecules like therapeutics. My team is using DNA nanotechnology to create a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) nanotube that Glioblastoma tumor cells (green) in mice internalized can cross the BBB, targeting brain tumors,” ssDNA nanotubes (red) after local injection. said Efie Kokkoli, chemical and biomolecudrug. Again, using mouse models, they injectlar engineering professor and INBT core reed glioblastoma cells on one side of the brain searcher. to simulate remaining residual tumor cells folKokkoli and a team of colleagues used mouse lowing tumor resection. Each mouse received models to test the ssDNA nanotubes’ accu- a different treatment. Some received empty racy in targeting glioblastoma. They inject- nanotubes, while others received doxorubicin ed nanotubes into both sides of mice’s brain freely in the brain or via DNA nanotubes. hemispheres: one side was healthy and one had Mice that received doxorubicin via the nanoglioblastoma tumors. The researchers observed tubes showed an increase in survival. More that the tumors held onto the nanotubes, but importantly, the mice that received free doxothey were absent from the brain’s healthy side, rubicin showed toxicity signs in their liver and providing evidence that there is little chance spleen. In contrast, there were no significant that the therapeutics would harm healthy cells. findings in spleen and liver tissues of mice The team also injected nanotubes into a vein treated with empty nanotubes and those that on the mice’s tails and noticed the same results, delivered doxorubicin. indicating the nanotubes successfully traveled through the rodents’ body and crossed the BBB. “ssDNA nanotubes are a promising tool to target glioblastoma tumors and deliver theraThe team also evaluated the nanotubes as a depeutics to brain tumors,” Kokkoli said. livery vehicle for doxorubicin, a chemotherapy
