title: Stem cell in alternative treatments for brain tumors: potential for gene delivery.
abstract: Despite ongoing research efforts and attempts to bring new drugs into trial, the prognosis for brain tumors remains poor. Patients with the most common and lethal intracranial neoplasia, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), have an average survival of one year with combination of surgical resection, radiotherapy and temozolomide. One of the main problems in the treatment of GBM is getting drugs across the blood brain barrier (BBB) efficiently. In an attempt to solve this problem, there are ongoing experimental and clinical trials to deliver drugs within stem cells. The purpose for this method is the ease by which stem cells home to the brain. This review discusses the experimental and clinical applications of stem cells for GBM. We also discuss the different properties of stem cells. This information is important to understand why one stem cell would be advantageous over another in cell therapy. We provide an overview of the different drug delivery methods, gene-based treatments and cancer vaccines for GBM, including the stem cell subset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine - Hematology/Oncology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers School of Biomedical Sciences, E-585, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103 USA.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mariotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine - Hematology/Oncology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers School of Biomedical Sciences, E-585, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103 USA.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.affiliation: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO USA.
authors.forename: Ryan D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Mohan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine - Hematology/Oncology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers School of Biomedical Sciences, E-585, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103 USA.
authors.forename: George R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Nahas
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine - Hematology/Oncology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers School of Biomedical Sciences, E-585, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103 USA.
authors.forename: Pranela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rameshwar
keywords: Cancer; Cell therapy; Glioblastoma; Stem cells