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A Rapid Screening Workflow to Identify Potential Combination Therapy for GBM using Patient-Derived Glioma Stem Cells
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A Rapid Screening Workflow to Identify Potential Combination Therapy for GBM using Patient-Derived Glioma Stem Cells

Published on: March 28, 2021

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Stem Cell Therapy of Gliomas

Brittany C Parker Kerrigan, Anwar Hossain, Shinji Yamashita

    Progress in Neurological Surgery
    |July 11, 2018
    PubMed

    Insights

    Stem cells show promise as natural delivery vehicles for brain cancer gene therapy. Researchers are exploring various stem cell types and therapeutic agents for treating gliomas, with some approaches entering clinical trials.

    Area of Science:

    • * Regenerative Medicine
    • * Cancer Gene Therapy
    • * Neuro-oncology

    Background:

    • * Stem cells (SC) are investigated as tumor-tropic vectors for targeted gene delivery to solid tumors.
    • * Stem cells possess inherent glioma tropism, making them suitable for delivering therapeutic agents to brain neoplasms.
    • * Adult stem cells (ASC), particularly neural stem cells (NSC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), are most studied for this application.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • * To review the potential of stem cells as vectors for gene delivery in treating brain tumors.
    • * To summarize the types of therapeutic agents and stem cell carriers investigated for glioma treatment.
    • * To assess the progress of stem cell-based glioma therapies towards clinical application.

    Main Methods:

    • * Review of preclinical studies investigating stem cell-mediated gene delivery for glioma.
    • * Analysis of different types of adult stem cells utilized as therapeutic carriers.
    • * Examination of various therapeutic cargoes delivered by stem cells, including proteins, viruses, and nanoparticles.

    Main Results:

    • * Multiple adult stem cell types, notably NSC and MSC, demonstrate glioma tropism.
    • * A range of therapeutic cargoes, such as secreted proteins, suicide gene systems, oncolytic viruses, antibodies, and nanoparticles, have been tested.
    • * Several preclinical stem cell-based glioma therapies have progressed to Phase I clinical trials.

    Conclusions:

    • * Stem cells offer a promising platform for targeted gene delivery to brain neoplasms.
    • * The use of stem cells as carriers for antiglioma agents represents a potential future therapeutic strategy for glioma patients.
    • * Continued research and clinical trials are essential to realize the full therapeutic potential of stem cell-based treatments for gliomas.

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