A targeted aptamer delivery system for glioblastoma immunotherapy

Yutong Luo – PhD Student, The University of Hong Kong; Alexandra Moreno Mitchell – PhD Student, King's College London; Alaa Zam – PhD Student, King's College London; Alessia Marrocu – PhD Student, King's College London; Adam Walters – Lecturer, King's College London; Khuloud Al-Jamal – Professor, The University of Hong Kong

Introduction:

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive brain tumour¹ and is incurable due to resistance to standard therapies. There is a lack of effective drug carriers able to target and penetrate the tumour specifically,² leading to survival of 15 mos.³ The use of nucleic acids (NA) to block or stimulate immune check points on T-cells has not been successful. The challenge is delivering the NA to the correct locations and lose of therapeutics to non-desirable cells. Conjugating a specific targeting agent to the NA could overcome this. Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides that bind strongly to diverse targets.⁴ Aptamers can be targeted drug carriers, increasing efficacy and minimising side effects.⁵