Study Reveals Rice Grain-Sized Micro-device Effective in Treating Brain Cancer

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed a rice grain-sized device to aid in therapy testing for patients with gliomas, which are challenging brain or spinal cord tumors. This device is meant to be used during standard-of-care surgery and provides valuable insights into the impact of drugs on glioma tumors. Gliomas are among the deadliest brain cancers and are notoriously difficult to treat.

The device allows for the examination of the effects of novel treatments on glioma tumors in a phase 1 clinical trial, without any adverse effects on patients. It can perform hundreds of studies simultaneously, providing crucial data for personalized treatment plans.

During surgery, the device is implanted in the patient's tumor for about 2-3 hours, administering tiny doses of up to 20 drugs into small areas of the tumor. It is then removed, and the surrounding tissue is analyzed in the lab. This approach offers a unique perspective on how tumors respond to treatment in real patients in real time.

In a pilot clinical trial involving six patients, the device proved to be safe and effective, collecting valuable biological data on drug responses and molecular changes within cells. The researchers believe this device could revolutionize personalized medicine for glioma therapy, offering new possibilities for treatment optimization in a disease with limited options.

The researchers are continuing their work to refine the use of the data gathered by the device and are conducting a two-stage version of the procedure to further advance personalized medicine for gliomas.

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