Image Guided Drug Delivery

Five percent. That is the survival rate for patients with a diagnosis of a glioblastoma brain tumor. This type of cancer is very aggressive and difficult to treat with surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Scientists hope that by improving brain imaging they can increase this survival rate. The Image-Guided Drug Delivery to the Brain Creative Inquiry project is mentored by Dr. Jessica Larsen in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Dr. Angela Alexander and graduate students Joey Lavalla and Megan Pitz in the Department of Bioengineering. The Creative Inquiry team aims to improve computed tomography (CT) imaging to make it more effective in diagnosing glioblastoma brain tumors.

Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the industry standard for viewing brain tumors, the team works with CT imaging because it is more accessible to hospitals due to cost. Additionally, MRIs can only detect stages three and four of brain cancer. This late diagnosis is a significant contributor to the low survival rate in patients with glioblastoma brain tumors. The Creative Inquiry team discovered that using gold as a contrast agent helps improve the CT image and makes a better image in comparison to an MRI image. This works by using a drug delivery system that injects the patient with gold nanoparticles. Due to its high electron affinity, the gold increases the fluorescence of the location of the tumor, which makes it easier for doctors to see on scans. In turn, increased visibility allows the doctors to remove blood vessels that are feeding the tumor, ultimately killing it.

However, this team’s discovery did not come without any difficulties. When they initially tested gold as a contrast agent, the element caused the cancer cells to grow. So, they created a polymeric system to encapsulate and shield the cancer cells from the gold to prevent tumor growth. The students do not let setbacks hinder their progress. “It’s research. Things happen. [You] just have to overcome that and move on,” Emily Barnett, a junior bioengineering major, said.

In order for this methodology to be approved for hospital use, the team’s delivery system must undergo animal testing. Currently, they are trying to successfully establish a glioblastoma brain tumor in mice so that they can take CT images using the gold contrast agent. Additionally, they are working towards using their delivery system to transport chemotherapeutic drugs to the tumor in the mice. This delivery system would not only be able to image the tumor but also deliver treatment directly to the site. This will make treatment more efficient because the doctors can see the area they are administering chemotherapeutics to in real time and know if they are targeting the correct section of the brain.

Though this research is very meticulous and time consuming, it is rewarding. “I know that we’re doing something so much bigger than ourselves,” Isabel Ray, a senior bioengineering major, said.

Overall, the team is revolutionizing CT imaging and paving a pathway for future cancer research.