Targeting brain tumor environment with nano medicines for glioblastoma
Official title: Targeting tumor microenvironment by nanoimmunodrugs for glioma treatment
Funded at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · NIH-11384533 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new treatment approach aims to cross the brain barrier and work with the immune system to slow or stop glioblastoma growth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $539,533 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA284247-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11384533 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with glioblastoma or related brain tumors who may benefit from novel nanomedicine therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with tumors not responsive to nanomedicine approaches or those unable to tolerate experimental treatments may not benefit.
What this research studies
Glioblastoma is a deadly brain cancer with limited options, in part because drugs struggle to reach the brain. This grant plans to create nanomedicines that cross the blood-brain barrier and simultaneously alter the tumor’s surroundings and boost immune activity against the tumor. The project will study how the extracellular matrix and local immune cells interact in glioblastoma to identify new parts of the tumor environment to target. By translating these nanomedicines toward clinical use, the work hopes to provide a more effective therapy for GBM and possibly other hard-to-treat brain tumors.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with glioblastoma could have a new therapy that delivers drugs more effectively to the brain and engages the immune system to fight the tumor.
How similar studies have gone: Early studies in nanomedicine show promise for crossing the BBB, but this specific approach targets tumor microenvironment and immune activation in GBM.
Where this research is happening
-
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ljubimov, Alexander V — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Ljubimov, Alexander V
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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.