Exploratory Approach to Brain Cancer Chemotherapy

Current Approaches: Following surgical resection, current approaches to localized chemotherapy include direct injection of biofunctional materials, or delivered over time with drug loaded disks or electronically controlled dispensing of microvials. Reference: Raza M. S., et al. Local Delivery of Anti-neoplastic Agents by Controlled-release Polymers for the Treatment of Malignant Brain Tumors. Expert Opinion Biol Ther 5, 477-494 (2005). TDI Approach: With personalized mapping of a spatial concentration profile, TDI is investigating the conformal placement of a nano-structured, ultra thin-film, dissolvable template for the controlled release of chemotherapeutic agents.

In addition to developing the chemical building blocks to construct the biofunctional dissolvable templates, TDI engineers and biochemists are also exploring new biomedical applications for the novel technology and nanostructured materials, one of which is in the treatment of brain cancer, currently at the initial stages of research.