Electrotherapy using injectable nanoparticles delivered directly into the tumour could pave the way for new treatment options for glioblastoma, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden.
Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive form of brain tumour among adults. Even with intensive treatment, the average survival period is 15 months. The tumour has a high genetic variation with multiple mutations, which often makes it resistant to radiation therapy, chemotherapy and many targeted drugs. The prognosis for glioblastoma has not improved over the past few decades despite extensive research.
Electrotherapy offers another strategy to combat solid tumours. Using short, strong electric pulses (irreversible electroporation), non-reversible pores are created in the cancer cells leading to their death. The body's immune system is simultaneously stimulated. The problem is that surgery is required to place the stiff metal electrodes that are necessary for the treatment. In sensitive tissue, in the brain for example, this often entails a very difficult procedure, which has led to strict criteria regarding which patients can be treated. Johan Bengzon is a researcher in glioblastoma and adjunct professor at Lund University, and consultant in neurosurgery at the Skåne University Hospital. He regularly treats patients with glioblastoma and is frustrated by the limited treatment options.
"The short distance between the hospital and the University in Lund facilitates cooperation and that's why I contacted research colleagues to find out if injectable electrodes could be an alternative solution in electrotherapy," says Johan Bengzon.
Said and done. The research team, with Amit Singh Yadav, Martin Hjort, and Roger Olsson at the helm, had previously used nanoparticles to form injectable and electrically conductive hydrogels to control brain signalling and heart contractions. It is aminimally invasive method in which the particles are injected using a thin syringe directly into the body. The particles break down after the treatment and thus do not need to be surgically removed. Perhaps the same technology could be used to destroy tumour cells in glioblastoma.
"After surgical treatment, unfortunately the glioblastoma tumour often returns on the outer edge of the area operated on. By drop casting the nanoparticles into the tumour cavity after an operation, we could electrify the edges while the immune system is also activated. In animal models the procedure, due to this irreversible electroporation, led to tumours being wiped out within three days," says Roger Olsson, professor of chemical biology and drug development at Lund University, who led the study.
The prospects are good and the researchers are very hopeful for the future, even though there is a long way to go before it becomes a clinical reality. The challenge is now to test the method on larger tumours.
"We have seen that the electrode is well received in the brain. We have not noted any problems relating to side effects and after 12 weeks the electrode disappeared by itself as it's biodegradable. The technology combines direct tumour destruction with activation of the immune system and can be an important step towards more effective treatment of glioblastoma," concludes Amit Singh Yadav, researcher at Lund University and first author of the study.
The study in brief: Basic research // Peer-reviewed publication // Investigator-initiated study // Animal study // In vitro // Ex vivo // In ovo // A patent application has been submitted
Publication
Injectable bioresorbable conductive hydrogels for multimodal brain tumor electroimmunotherapy
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65785-x
Funding
The Swedish Research Council, The Swedish Cancer Foundation
