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Updated: May 3, 2026
Author Spotlight: Multimodal Imaging Strategies for Optimizing Drug Delivery and Early Detection in Glioblastoma Treatment
Published on: March 1, 2024
Novel target for peptide-based imaging and treatment of brain tumors
Maija Hyvönen1, Juulia Enbäck, Tuulia Huhtala
1Authors' Affiliations: Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology and Institute of Biomedicine and Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki; Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Central Hospital; Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki; A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; Department of Neurochemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; and UCSF Helen Diller Family Cancer Center, San Francisco, California.
Abstract:
Malignant gliomas are associated with high mortality due to infiltrative growth, recurrence, and malignant progression. Even with the most efficient therapy combinations, median survival of the glioblastoma multiforme (grade 4) patients is less than 15 months. Therefore, new treatment approaches are urgently needed. We describe here identification of a novel homing peptide that recognizes tumor vessels and invasive tumor satellites in glioblastomas. We demonstrate successful brain tumor imaging using radiolabeled peptide in whole-body SPECT/CT imaging. Peptide-targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics prolonged the lifespan of mice bearing invasive brain tumors and significantly reduced the number of tumor satellites compared with the free drug. Moreover, we identified mammary-derived growth inhibitor (MDGI/H-FABP/FABP3) as the interacting partner for our peptide on brain tumor tissue. MDGI was expressed in human brain tumor specimens in a grade-dependent manner and its expression positively correlated with the histologic grade of the tumor, suggesting MDGI as a novel marker for malignant gliomas.
Insights
Researchers discovered a novel homing peptide for glioblastoma that targets tumor vessels and invasive cells. This peptide enables targeted drug delivery, improving survival and reducing tumor spread in mice, and identifies MDGI as a potential glioma marker.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Malignant gliomas, including glioblastoma multiforme, have poor prognoses due to infiltrative growth and recurrence.
- Current therapies offer limited survival benefits, necessitating novel treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize a novel homing peptide for targeting malignant gliomas.
- To evaluate the peptide's utility in imaging and targeted drug delivery for glioblastoma.
- To identify the peptide's molecular target within brain tumor tissue.
Main Methods:
- Identification of a novel homing peptide targeting glioblastoma vasculature and invasive cells.
- In vivo SPECT/CT imaging using radiolabeled peptide for brain tumor visualization.
- Assessment of peptide-drug conjugate efficacy in prolonging survival and reducing tumor burden in preclinical models.
- Identification of mammary-derived growth inhibitor (MDGI) as the peptide's binding partner.
Main Results:
- The novel homing peptide successfully visualized brain tumors in vivo using SPECT/CT imaging.
- Peptide-targeted chemotherapy significantly improved survival and reduced tumor satellite formation in mice.
- Mammary-derived growth inhibitor (MDGI) was identified as the interacting partner for the peptide.
- MDGI expression in human brain tumors correlated positively with histologic grade.
Conclusions:
- A novel homing peptide offers potential for glioblastoma imaging and targeted therapy.
- Peptide-mediated drug delivery demonstrates efficacy in preclinical models of invasive brain tumors.
- MDGI represents a promising novel biomarker for malignant gliomas.
