Polymeric Microstructured Depots for Precise Delivery of Complex Therapies in Gliomas and other Diseases

Despite tremendous advancements in early cancer diagnosis, targeted therapies, and the advent of cancer immunotherapies, glioblastoma and pediatric high-grade gliomas continue to be the most aggressive and less curable forms of any cancer. The current standard of care – the Stupp Protocol – has not changed over the past 20 years, still relying on maximal resection of the malignant tissue followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy with Temozolomide. This treatment plan provides only a modest improvement in life expectancy (a few months) and various degrees of therapy-induced complications.

In this talk, a novel compartmentalized, flexible micro-implant – microMESH – for the sustained and localized delivery of a variety of therapeutic agents (small molecules, inhibitors, antibodies, and nanomedicines), and their combinations, will be described. First the fabrication process of microMESH will be detailed, followed by its physico-chemical and mechanical characterization. Then, the therapeutic efficacy of microMESH will be demonstrated on primary cell cultures, tumor spheroids as well as in orthotopic murine models of the disease. The fundamental importance of developing conformable implants for the uniform and deep intratissue distribution of therapeutic agents will be highlighted throughout the talk.