Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 14, 2025
Flexible Organic Electronic Devices for Pulsed Electric Field Therapy of Glioblastoma
Published on: August 9, 2022
Enhancing the therapeutic effect on tumor cells through wireless optoelectronic stimulation
E Iusupovskaia1, N Isaev1, A Antonian1,2
1Institute for Bionic Technologies and Engineering, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 8/2 Trubetskaya Str, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation.
Purpose:
Drug resistance is a major challenge in the treatment of tumor diseases, especially in glioblastoma (GBM), where temozolomide (TMZ) plays a critical role. However, the development of resistance to TMZ occurs rapidly in more than half of the patients who initially respond to the drug. This highlights the need for novel approaches to overcome drug resistance and improve therapeutic outcomes in GBM treatment.
Methods:
In our study, we combine TMZ treatment with wireless optoelectronics using advanced multilayered organic semiconductor (MOS) devices. These devices consist of a 200 nm thick stack of metal and p-n semiconducting organic nanocrystals. When illuminated in physiological solutions, these MOS devices charge up and convert light pulses into localized displacement currents, which are strong enough to electrically stimulate tumor cells at safe light intensities. Importantly, the freestanding MOS devices require no external wiring or bias and remain stable under physiological conditions. The semiconductor layers are created from common, non-toxic pigments using simple, scalable deposition methods.
Results:
Our results demonstrate that this combination of TMZ and optoelectronic stimulation significantly enhances apoptosis in tumor cells, thereby improving the effectiveness of TMZ in treating glioblastoma.
Conclusion:
his research suggests that the integration of wireless optoelectronic stimulation with TMZ treatment offers a promising strategy to overcome drug resistance in GBM. The use of MOS devices enhances the therapeutic effect of TMZ and could lead to better treatment outcomes for patients with glioblastoma.
Insights
Combining temozolomide (TMZ) with wireless optoelectronic stimulation using multilayered organic semiconductor devices enhances tumor cell apoptosis. This novel approach improves TMZ effectiveness, offering a promising strategy to overcome drug resistance in glioblastoma (GBM) treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Oncology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Drug resistance, particularly to temozolomide (TMZ), is a significant challenge in glioblastoma (GBM) treatment.
- Over half of GBM patients develop resistance to TMZ, necessitating innovative therapeutic strategies.
- Current treatments for GBM face limitations due to rapid development of drug resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of combining TMZ with wireless optoelectronic stimulation for overcoming drug resistance in GBM.
- To evaluate the potential of multilayered organic semiconductor (MOS) devices in enhancing anti-cancer therapy.
- To explore novel approaches for improving glioblastoma treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized advanced multilayered organic semiconductor (MOS) devices composed of metal and p-n semiconducting organic nanocrystals.
- Integrated MOS devices with temozolomide (TMZ) treatment for glioblastoma therapy.
- Demonstrated wireless optoelectronic stimulation via light pulses to induce localized displacement currents for tumor cell stimulation.
Main Results:
- The combination of TMZ and optoelectronic stimulation significantly increased apoptosis in glioblastoma cells.
- Optoelectronic stimulation enhanced the therapeutic effectiveness of TMZ.
- MOS devices proved stable under physiological conditions and effective at safe light intensities.
Conclusions:
- Integration of wireless optoelectronic stimulation with TMZ presents a promising strategy to combat drug resistance in GBM.
- Multilayered organic semiconductor (MOS) devices enhance TMZ's therapeutic impact.
- This approach holds potential for improved glioblastoma treatment outcomes.
