Tiny implantable devices to test many drugs in brain tumors
Using implantable microdevices for deep phenotyping of multiple drug responses in brain tumor patients
Doctors will use tiny implantable devices during tumor surgery to see how an individual’s brain tumor reacts to many different drugs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144443 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, surgeons will place tiny implantable microdevices into your brain tumor during a planned tumor removal operation. Each device exposes small, separate tumor regions to one of 20 drugs or drug combinations and is removed along with the tumor during the same surgery. The removed tissue will be analyzed for protein, gene, immune, and tissue changes to identify drug response or resistance, with three small replicates per drug. About 32 patients will take part while the team measures safety and how well this workflow can be integrated into clinical care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21+) with a diagnosed glioma who are scheduled for surgical tumor resection at the study center are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who will not have a resection, have tumors that cannot be safely biopsied during surgery, or are medically unfit for intraoperative procedures are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This could help doctors choose the most effective drugs for a patient’s tumor by showing direct tumor responses to many therapies with little additional risk beyond the planned surgery.
How similar studies have performed: Similar implantable microdevice approaches have shown early promise in other cancer types, but applying them to profile many drug responses in glioma patients is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jonas, Oliver — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Jonas, Oliver
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.