Brain cancer

A new blood test is promising a non-invasive way for clinicians to diagnose and classify brain tumors. The test will need further verification before it is available but it points to a novel way to detect brain cancer without needing tissue biopsies.

Scientists may have uncovered a powerful new tool in the fight against glioblastoma, the most aggressive type of brain cancer. An already-approved malaria drug was found to boost the effectiveness of existing treatments in mice.

Promising new research from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), suggests an old schizophrenia drug could significantly enhance the efficacy of radiation treatment for one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer.

Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have combined three immunotherapy agents in mice with brain cancer to achieve impressive results that they liken to long-term remission in human patients.

The brain’s own defense mechanism often prevents treatment of brain cancers. But a new experimental treatment has shown success in mice, with carbon nanoparticles able to sneak through the blood-brain barrier and deliver drugs directly to tumors.

Scientists are investigating how the cell-destroying abilities of viruses can be leveraged to better attack different cancers, with a new study showing how a gene taken from the Ebola virus could be used to take the fight to a deadly brain tumor.

New research, led by scientists from the University of Rochester, has homed in on a mechanism responsible for causing the cognitive impairment seen in patients who receive cranial radiotherapy for brain cancer.

A new study from Northwestern University is demonstrating evidence a novel implantable ultrasound device allows a less toxic formulation of chemotherapy to cross the blood-brain barrier and destroy deadly tumors.

The lamprey is not something you’d normally want anywhere near your brain. But now, researchers have used molecules taken from the freaky fish’s immune system to deliver drugs inside the body – and even managed to sneak them into the brain.

A new imaging technique designed to help surgeons identify the location of malignant brain tumors during surgery is showing promising early clinical trial results. The technique combines a near-infrared camera with a special imaging agent synthesized from an amino acid found in scorpion venom.

After over 10 years of research, the National Toxicology Program has released its report into the effects of radio frequency radiation on animals. The results suggest that high levels of exposure can cause some cancers, however the conclusions have been labeled as “weak” and unrelatable to humans.

The blood-brain barrier is an effective shield against infection, but it’s not so helpful when you’re trying to get drugs in there. Nasal sprays could bypass the barrier, and now researchers have developed a way to use ultrasound pulses to drive the drugs to where in the brain they’re needed.