The following is a summary of a story by Adriana Difranco on MADE FOR THIS .
Chemotherapy drugs for brain tumors typically haven't been able to get past the blood brain barrier, says Duke neurosurgeon Dr. Gerald Grant .
The blood brain barrier is a layer of natural defense that protects the brain. It is designed to keep toxins and pathogens out and allow essential nutrients and oxygen in. The issue is, though, that it makes treating brain tumors more difficult.
Grant's research focuses on using low-frequency ultrasound to open the blood brain barrier of patients with brain cancer. "Now we are seeing literal breakthroughs."
Grant and his team have been studying a safe, minimally invasive approach to better target chemotherapy to treat brain tumors.
The research involves tiny microbubbles given through an IV at the same time as chemotherapy. Once the microbubbles are activated by focused ultrasound, they push against the blood vessels to make space for the chemotherapy to enter the brain. This technique allows the drugs to get past the barrier and release their drug payload deep into the tumor. This approach reduces the overall chemotherapy toxicity, since the method selectively opens the BBB in the area of the tumor.
Duke will soon launch the multi-institutional LIMITLESS trial to test the safety and efficacy of the technique to treat brain metastases - cancer that has spread to the brain from other parts of the body.
As a pediatric neurosurgeon, Grant knows this method is especially important for children. "If we can open up the blood brain barrier long enough to get drugs in to shrink a child's brain tumor, then we may not have to radiate that child's brain. And that is a huge win," Grant says.
