A nose spray carrier for a glioblastoma drug is tested in cells and rats
Original title: LPR-1-Mediated targeted intranasal delivery of lentinan-loaded polymeric nanocarriers for GBM therapy via modulation of apoptotic signalling.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done in animals, not people. Most findings at this stage never become treatments.
This was only done in lab cells and in rats, not in people.
The short version
This is early lab work on a way to get a drug into the brain through the nose, and it has not been tried in people.
What was studied. Researchers built tiny carrier particles to hold a drug called lentinan. They coated the particles so they would stick to brain blood vessels, then tested them on human glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells in a dish and gave them through the nose to rats.
What they found. The coated particles released the drug slowly and passed through tissue better than the drug alone. In the dish, they killed more glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells and pushed those cells toward self destruction. In rats, the drug reached the fluid around the brain and built up in brain tissue after the nose dose.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: It suggests the nose may be a possible route to get this drug to brain tumors without surgery or an IV. For now this only tells us the idea is worth studying further.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. No person received this. It was only tested on cells in a dish and in rats. Many things that work in a dish or in animals do not work in people. It is not a cure, and it is many years and many studies away from your doctor's office.
Source: PubMed, August 11, 2026 · Read the original
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