Till date, traditional chemotherapy has been the most commonly used method of treatment for all kinds of cancer including brain cancer. This being a full body treatment, has the potential to sometimes do more harm than good as the side effects may be severe. And even though it may be far from ideal, it continues to be extensively used due to the lack of a better alternative. But with the help of an innovative new method developed by some of the finest minds in the world, this situation may soon become a thing of the past.
Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive form of brain cancer that develops from star shaped glial cells that are associated with nerve cells in the brain. And Andrew Steckl, a professor from the University of Cincinnati, along with researchers from the John Hopkins University managed to create a way to deliver safe and effective doses of medicine to help treat this dreaded condition.
Steckl’s method uses an industrial fabrication process called coaxial electrospinning to create drug-containing membranes. These membranes can then be directly implanted into the section of the brain from which a tumor is removed. By doing so, doctors can administer necessary drugs directly into the affected area without having to follow risky conventional chemotherapy methods.
The coaxial electrospinning technique can be used to create highly versatile materials that can deliver potent doses of medicine immediately or over time based on the requirement. This is made possible due to the fact that the method combines two or more materials into a fine fiber composed of a core of one material and the sheath of another. By doing so, the technique gives doctors the flexibility to control the rate at which drugs are released depending upon the type of base material used and the thickness of the sheath.
The spectrum of adjustments doctors can make while employing this type of treatment ranges from immediate antibiotic release for pain relief to long term treatments for which the drug release can be sustained upto a period of 150 days. This breakthrough treatment strategy can thus enable the creation of highly sophisticated drug release profiles.
Moreover, the electrospun tablet like discs used for treatment can also increase the quantity of medicine that can be administered, lower initial burst release and enhance the sustainability and uniformity of drug release over time. And to confirm the effectiveness of this treatment, the researchers even carried out several controlled animal trials. These trials analyzed varied aspects that included toxicity, safety membrane degradation and efficacy.
Glioblastoma multiforme has been a very common type of brain cancer that has affected several individuals across the world. The electrospun tablet treatment not only presents an effective way to treat this condition but also paves the way to develop treatments for other types of cancer according to creator Andrew Steckl. Moreover, the ability to deliver multiple drugs that is facilitated by this treatment can further improve treatment techniques for difficult cancers. So in sum, this method to treat cancer offers a lot of promise; and with more time and research there is no about that it will help our species make more progress in the fight against cancer.