Crossing the blood-brain barrier to treat pediatric brain cancer

Meritxell Teixidó

  • PROJECT LEADER

    Meritxell Teixidó

  • HOST ORGANIZATION,
    COUNTRY

    Hospital Sant Joan de Déu

  • DESCRIPTION

    DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma) is a pediatric tumor of the brain stem that affects approximately 2 in every million children. There is currently no cure or effective treatment, and median overall survival is just 8 to 11 months after diagnosis.

    While certain drugs have shown potent antitumor activity against DIPG in vitro, they have all failed in clinical trials because they are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to reach the tumor. The BBB is the protective border of cells that only allows certain molecules from circulating blood to enter the central nervous system, and prevents the entry of pathogens and other substances..

    Gate2Brain, a spin-off of IRB Barcelona, the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute - Sant Joan de Déu Hospital (SJD), has designed a peptide shuttle that can carry drugs across the BBB to treat DIPG and other brain conditions. They aim to carry out the preclinical validation of the new drug G2B-002. Their shuttles have the potential to be adapted to a wide range of molecules, demonstrating the huge potential of this platform to treat diverse brain conditions.

  • BUDGET

    300.000 €