Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC partnered)

Brain cancer is largely incurable and mostly untreatable. The most common form of brain cancer, malignant gliomas, are very aggressive, resulting in patient survival of only a year after diagnosis. Present treatments for malignant gliomas largely fail because cancer cells can rapidly invade surrounding brain tissue, resulting in recurrent tumors. We found that malignant gliomas overexpress a gene, DRR, which is a primary driver of their invasiveness, yet not expressed on normal glial cells. To stop the progression and recurrence of brain cancer, we propose to target DRR. We propose to selectively knock-down DRR with siRNA and to ensure specificity to cancer cells with targeting antibodies. We will deliver the siRNA, antibodies and chemotherapeutics in tiny beads - polymeric nanospheres. The drug delivery system is comprised of innovative polymer nanospheres, which penetrate the brain tumor site. Nanospheres will deliver antibodies against brain cancer, chemotherapeutics and silencing RNA to knockdown DRR. The spherical beads will degrade after releasing their payload in the cancerous tissue. This system of localized delivery is particularly compelling for invasive brain cancers where the aggressive malignant/invasive glioma cells have spread throughout the brain and are not easily removed. The long-term goal is to clinically assess the efficacy of locally-delivered targeting RNA to block invasiveness in recurrent glioblastoma and extend median progression-free and overall survival in patients. Our team has the complementary expertise required for success in the complex race to overcome brain cancer. By combining novel bioengineering strategies with innovative silencing approaches, targeting antibodies, and neurosurgery, the team will provide a superb environment for training of HQP. In collaboration with our industry, science and clinical partners, we will advance knowledge to practical application, with the ultimate goal of defeating brain cancer.