Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Cross Blood-Brain Barrier, Extend Survival in Glioblastoma Mice

Researchers at Oregon State University have developed lipid nanoparticles coated with mannose, a sugar related to glucose, that exploit the brain's glucose transporter GLUT1 to cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver tumor-suppressing therapy to glioblastoma cells in mice, extending median survival Glioblastoma is the deadliest form of brain cancer, with a five-year survival rate below 5 percent. The blood-brain barrier blocks most drugs from reaching tumors, and therapies that do penetrate often fail to accumulate selectively in cancer cells. The OSU team, led In a study published in the Journal of Controlled Release, the sugar-coated nanoparticles successfully delivered a tumor-suppressing therapy across the blood-brain barrier in mice with glioblastoma, increasing median survival