Multifunctional nanofiber for convection-enhanced delivery of theranostics to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma

Active Research Project
Investigator(s): 
Benedict Law, Ph.D. Mark Souweidane, M.D.
Last Updated: 
June 14, 2022

Of all pediatric cancers, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is the most aggressive. Focal radiotherapy only prolongs patient survival for a few months. Chemotherapy does not improve patient survival as DIPG is intrinsically resistant to most chemotherapeutics. Furthermore, our brains naturally prevent most drugs from reaching the brain tumor. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED), is a direct infusion technique for delivering drugs to the brain. However, drug molecules can be rapidly cleared from the brain immediately after CED delivery. The physicochemical properties of the nanofiber platform (NFP) can be fine-tuned to control post-CED tissue distribution and retention. The Law lab uses a combination of CED and NFP to bypass the blood brain barrier (BBB), prolong drug retention at the fusion site, and maintain an effective therapeutic effect against DIPG to improve treatment outcome.

Weill Cornell Medicine
Department of Radiology
525 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065