Researchers built a tiny protein cage that crosses the brain's protective barrier. In mice with glioma, it trapped a molecule tumors use to suppress immune cells, helping an existing immunotherapy drug work better. After surgery, most treated mice survived and resisted tumor regrowth.
Glioblastoma almost always returns after surgery because drugs cannot reach stray tumor cells hidden behind the blood-brain barrier. This work targets exactly that problem: a treatment that crosses the barrier and reactivates immune defense near the leftover cells. Many hurdles remain before human testing, but the approach addresses a core reason this cancer resists treatment.
✦ An engineered protein let immune therapy reach brain tumors in mice, and most survived.