SPNPs for GBM

Glioblastoma Multiforme, or GBM, is the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer, accounting for ~80% of primary brain cancers. In the majority of cases, GBM has a poor prognosis, with a median survival (MS) time of ~18-24 months and a 5-year survival rate of ~5%. A wide range of systemically administered nanoparticle therapies have been developed to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs (e.g., paclitaxel, docetaxel, doxorubicin, etc) and/or therapeutic RNAs, in an attempt to improve on the current standard of care (a combination of bulk surgical resection, focal radiotherapy, and temozolomide). Unfortunately, only marginal advances have been made, and NPs invariably require invasive local delivery to be effective.

In contrast, synthetic protein nanoparticles (SPNPs) developed in the Lahann laboratory have shown the ability to confer long-term survival in immunocompetent mice bearing intracranial GBMs. In collaboration with the Lahann and Castro/Lowenstein laboratories, we are now investigating the pharmacokinetics of SPNPs in tumor-bearing mice, their mechanism(s) of tumor uptake, and the implications for their mode of therapeutic action.

We are actively recruiting a post-doctoral fellow and/or students to work on this project. Please click here if interested.