Drug design, development and therapyMay 1, 2015

Methods to improve drug passage through the brain's protective barrier for treating brain tumors

mRNA Technology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Apr 4, 2026

Abstract

Innovative technologies are being explored to enhance the permeability of the (BBB) for drug delivery in glioma treatment.

Gliomas are highly lethal brain cancers associated with poor prognosis and frequent recurrences.
The blood-brain barrier limits the effectiveness of many drugs that are successful against other tumors.
Improving drug absorption through the BBB may enhance treatment efficacy for gliomas.
Technologies such as nanotechniques and hyperthermia techniques show promise in increasing BBB permeability.
and may facilitate drug delivery into brain tissue.
Cell-mediated delivery methods are also being considered to optimize drug distribution within the brain.

Simplified

Gliomas are amongst the most insidious and destructive types of brain cancer and are associated with a poor prognosis, frequent recurrences, and extremely high lethality despite combination treatment of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The existence of the (BBB) restricts the delivery of therapeutic molecules into the brain and offers the clinical efficacy of many pharmaceuticals that have been demonstrated to be effective for other kinds of tumors. This challenge emphasizes the need to be able to deliver drugs effectively across the BBB to reach the brain parenchyma. Enhancement of the permeability of the BBB and being able to transport drugs across it has been shown to be a promising strategy to improve drug absorption and treatment efficacy. This review highlights the innovative technologies that have been introduced to enhance the permeability of the BBB and to obtain an optimal distribution and concentration of drugs in the brain to treat gliomas, such as nanotechniques, hyperthermia techniques, , , and cell-mediated delivery.

Key numbers

4.5%

5-year survival rate

Percentage of patients with malignant glioma surviving five years post-diagnosis.

3×

Nanoparticle penetration speed

Glucose-coated gold nanoparticles penetrate the at a speed three times faster than non-brain endothelium.

202%

Increase in drug penetration

Focused ultrasound with microbubbles increased drug penetration in animal models.

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Methods to improve drug passage through the brain's protective barrier for treating brain tumors

Abstract

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