New nasal nanodrops wipe out brain tumors in mice – ScienceDaily

Advancements in Glioblastoma Treatment and Contributions to Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Aligning Health Innovation with SDG 3

A collaborative research initiative has developed a noninvasive therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. This advancement directly supports Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by creating a novel approach to combat a fatal non-communicable disease. The method utilizes intranasally administered nanostructures to stimulate the brain’s immune system, offering a less invasive and potentially more effective treatment pathway.

• Therapeutic Agent: Spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) designed to activate immune responses.
• Delivery Method: Noninvasive nasal drops for nose-to-brain delivery.
• Mechanism: Stimulation of the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) immune pathway.
• Primary Goal Alignment: Directly contributes to SDG 3, Target 3.4, which aims to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases.

The Challenge: Overcoming Barriers in Brain Cancer Therapy

Glioblastoma presents significant treatment challenges that hinder progress toward global health targets. The disease’s aggressive nature and the difficulty of delivering therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier have resulted in poor patient outcomes. Current experimental treatments often require highly invasive procedures, posing additional risks to patients.

1. Disease Profile: Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor, characterized by rapid progression and near-universal fatality.
2. Treatment Obstacle: The primary barrier is delivering effective medicine into the brain.
3. Immune Evasion: Glioblastoma is considered an immunologically “cold tumor,” meaning it does not naturally provoke a strong immune response, making it resistant to many immunotherapies.

A Novel Approach: Fostering Innovation for Global Health (SDG 9)

In line with Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), which encourages scientific research and technological upgrades, the research team engineered a sophisticated nanomedicine platform. This innovation redefines the potential for cancer immunotherapy in difficult-to-access tumors.

Key Technological Innovations

• Spherical Nucleic Acids (SNAs): The core of the therapy consists of nanoscale particles with gold cores, densely coated with short DNA fragments. These are specifically designed to activate the STING pathway within target immune cells.
• Intranasal Delivery System: This noninvasive route leverages the main nerve connecting the facial region to the brain as a direct pathway for the nanostructures, bypassing the need for surgical injection. This is the first demonstration of a nanoscale therapeutic activating an anti-tumor immune response in the brain via this route.

Research Findings and Efficacy

Studies conducted in murine models of glioblastoma demonstrated the platform’s effectiveness and precision, marking a critical step toward potential clinical application.

1. Targeted Delivery: Using near-infrared imaging, researchers confirmed that the SNAs traveled from the nasal passages directly to the brain tumor.
2. Precise Immune Activation: The nanomedicine selectively activated the STING pathway in immune cells within and around the tumor, with minimal spread to the rest of the body, thereby reducing the risk of side effects.
3. Enhanced Therapeutic Outcome: When combined with medicines that activate T lymphocytes, the two-dose nanotherapy eradicated tumors in mice and established long-lasting immunity, preventing cancer recurrence.

Implications for Sustainable Development

This research provides a powerful example of how scientific advancement can contribute to multiple Sustainable Development Goals simultaneously.

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The development of a safer, more effective, and noninvasive treatment for glioblastoma offers significant hope for improving health outcomes and reducing mortality from a devastating non-communicable disease.
• SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): The creation and successful application of the SNA platform represent a major technological innovation in nanomedicine and drug delivery, enhancing scientific capabilities that can be applied to other diseases.
• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The project’s success was built on a partnership between Washington University School of Medicine and Northwestern University, highlighting the critical role of collaboration in achieving complex scientific breakthroughs for the global good.

Future Directions

Researchers are now exploring methods to incorporate additional immune-activating features into the nanostructures. This could enable a single therapeutic to address multiple tumor evasion tactics simultaneously. The approach holds promise not only for glioblastoma but also for other immune-resistant cancers, potentially broadening its impact on achieving the targets set forth in SDG 3.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

1. Relevant Targets

   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment. The article directly addresses this target by focusing on a new treatment for glioblastoma, a non-communicable disease described as “the most common malignant brain tumor” and “almost always fatal.” The research aims to create an effective therapy to reduce mortality from this cancer.
   • Target 3.b: Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases. The entire article is a showcase of this target in action. It details the research and development of a novel nanomedicine (“spherical nucleic acids”) designed specifically to treat glioblastoma, a non-communicable disease.

2. Relevant Indicators

   • Indicator 3.4.1 (Implied): Mortality rate attributed to cancer. The article’s central goal is to combat a disease that is “almost always fatal.” The success of the therapy in mice, where it “eliminated tumors” and prevented recurrence, implies a direct effort to lower the mortality rate associated with this specific cancer.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

1. Relevant Targets

   • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors… encouraging innovation and substantially increasing… public and private research and development spending. The article is a clear example of enhanced scientific research and technological innovation. It describes the creation of a “noninvasive strategy to treat one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer” using “precisely engineered nanostructures.” The “Study Funding and Disclosures” section explicitly lists numerous public (NIH, National Cancer Institute) and private (Cellularity, Alnylam, AbbVie) funding sources, demonstrating an increase in R&D spending.

2. Relevant Indicators

   • Indicator 9.5.1 (Implied): Research and development expenditure. While not providing a total dollar amount, the article lists multiple specific grant numbers (e.g., “P50CA221747,” “R01CA275430”) and names of funding bodies, which represent the R&D expenditure for this innovative project.
   • Indicator 9.5.2 (Implied): Researchers per million inhabitants. The article names key researchers (“Alexander H. Stegh, PhD,” “Akanksha Mahajan, PhD,” “Chad A. Mirkin, PhD”) and their institutional affiliations, representing the highly skilled scientific workforce driving this innovation.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Relevant Targets

   • Target 17.16: Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, and technology. The research is a direct result of such a partnership. The article states, “Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, working with scientists at Northwestern University,” which exemplifies a partnership to share knowledge, expertise, and technology (specifically, the spherical nucleic acids developed at Northwestern).
   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The funding section provides a clear example of this target. It lists public entities (National Cancer Institute of the NIH), civil society organizations (Melanoma Research Foundation, Chicago Cancer Baseball Charities), and private companies (Cellularity, Alnylam, AbbVie) that supported the research, showcasing a multi-sectoral partnership.

2. Relevant Indicators

   • Indicator 17.17.1 (Implied): Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships. The article implies this by listing the names of the numerous public, private, and civil society partners who provided financial support and grants for the research, which constitute the financial commitments to this partnership.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: sciencedaily.com