Better drug delivery for breast cancer that has spread to the brain
Novel drug delivery strategies for treatment of breast cancer brain metastases
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · BALTIMORE VA MEDICAL CENTER · NIH-11130937
New methods to deliver cancer-fighting drugs into the brain for people whose breast cancer has spread there.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | BALTIMORE VA MEDICAL CENTER (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (BALTIMORE, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11130937 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
This project aims to create and refine ways to get anti-cancer medicines past the brain's natural protections into breast cancer tumors that have spread to the brain. The team is tackling barriers such as the blood-brain and blood-tumor barriers, drug-efflux pumps in tumor and blood vessel cells, and the brain's clearance systems that wash drugs away. They will use laboratory models and patient-derived samples and may move promising approaches toward tests involving patients to measure how well drugs penetrate brain metastases. The work focuses especially on tumors from triple-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer that often spread to the brain.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain, particularly those with triple-negative or HER2-positive disease and who can receive care at VA or affiliated centers.
Not a fit: People without brain metastases, those with unrelated cancer types, or patients who cannot access VA-based care or the specific delivery approaches are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these delivery methods could increase drug levels inside brain tumors, which may slow tumor growth, reduce symptoms, and extend survival.
How similar studies have performed: Some related drug-delivery approaches have shown promise in laboratory and early clinical work, but effective treatments for breast cancer brain metastases remain limited so this approach is partly novel.
Where this research is happening
BALTIMORE, UNITED STATES
- BALTIMORE VA MEDICAL CENTER — BALTIMORE, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: KIM, ANTHONY J. — BALTIMORE VA MEDICAL CENTER
- Study coordinator: KIM, ANTHONY J.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Anti-Cancer Agents