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Updated: May 15, 2026
Author Spotlight: Multimodal Imaging Strategies for Optimizing Drug Delivery and Early Detection in Glioblastoma Treatment
Published on: March 1, 2024
A state-of-the-art liposome technology for glioblastoma treatment
Ikram Hasan1, Shubham Roy2,3, Ehexige Ehexige1
1School of Biomedical Engineering, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China. cqchang@szu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Glioblastoma (GBM) is a challenging problem due to the poor BBB permeability of cancer drugs, its recurrence after the treatment, and high malignancy and is difficult to treat with the currently available therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, the prognosis and survival rate of GBM are still poor after surgical removal via conventional combination therapy. Owing to the existence of the formidable blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the aggressive, infiltrating nature of GBM growth, the diagnosis and treatment of GBM are quite challenging. Recently, liposomes and their derivatives have emerged as super cargos for the delivery of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs for the treatment of glioblastoma because of their advantages, such as biocompatibility, long circulation, and ease of physical and chemical modification, which facilitate the capability of targeting specific sites, circumvention of BBB transport restrictions, and amplification of the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we provide a timely update on the burgeoning liposome-based drug delivery systems and potential challenges in these fields for the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors. Furthermore, we focus on the most recent liposome-based drug delivery cargos, including pH-sensitive, temperature-sensitive, and biomimetic liposomes, to enhance the multimodality in imaging and therapeutics of glioblastoma. Furthermore, we highlight the future difficulties and directions for the research and clinical translation of liposome-based drug delivery. Hopefully, this review will trigger the interest of researchers to expedite the development of liposome cargos and even their clinical translation for improving the prognosis of glioblastoma.
Insights
Liposomes offer advanced drug delivery for glioblastoma (GBM), overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to improve treatment efficacy. This review explores innovative liposome designs for better GBM diagnosis and therapy.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology and Drug Delivery
- Oncology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Glioblastoma (GBM) presents significant treatment challenges due to poor drug penetration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), tumor recurrence, and high malignancy.
- Current therapeutic strategies and conventional treatments offer limited efficacy, resulting in poor prognosis and survival rates for GBM patients.
- The aggressive, infiltrating nature of GBM and the formidable BBB complicate diagnosis and treatment, necessitating innovative approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an updated review of liposome-based drug delivery systems for glioblastoma diagnosis and treatment.
- To highlight recent advancements in liposome cargo design, including pH-sensitive, temperature-sensitive, and biomimetic liposomes.
- To discuss challenges and future directions for liposome-based therapies in clinical translation for brain tumors.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on liposome drug delivery systems for glioblastoma.
- Focus on advanced liposome modifications for enhanced targeting and therapeutic efficacy.
- Analysis of challenges and future prospects for clinical translation of liposome-based therapies.
Main Results:
- Liposomes demonstrate significant advantages as drug delivery vehicles for glioblastoma, including biocompatibility, long circulation times, and ease of modification.
- Liposome derivatives can effectively target specific sites, bypass BBB restrictions, and enhance therapeutic outcomes for GBM.
- Specialized liposomes (pH-sensitive, temperature-sensitive, biomimetic) show promise for multimodal imaging and therapeutics.
Conclusions:
- Liposome-based drug delivery systems represent a promising strategy to overcome the limitations of current glioblastoma treatments.
- Further research and development of liposome cargos are crucial for improving diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities for brain tumors.
- Clinical translation of advanced liposome technologies holds potential for improving glioblastoma patient prognosis and survival rates.
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