Can A Simple Nasal Spray Fight Brain Cancer? Here's What Research Says

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recent research, scientists have unveiled a potentially transformative way to treat one of the deadliest brain cancers, using something as simple as nasal drops.

How it works

The treatment relies on specially engineered nanostructures called “spherical nucleic acids” (SNAs). These nanostructures are delivered through nasal drops, then travel along neural pathways (olfactory and trigeminal nerves) that directly connect the nose to the brain, bypassing the blood-brain barrier that typically prevents many drugs from reaching brain tissue. Once in the brain, the SNAs activate a cellular alarm system known as the STING pathway.This triggers immune cells to recognise the tumour as a threat and mount an attack. In tests on mice with aggressive Glioblastoma (a “cold” tumour that typically evades immune detection), nasal drops successfully awakened the immune response and zeroed in on the tumour.

Why this is promising

Glioblastoma is notoriously difficult to treat: it spreads quickly, resists conventional therapies, and patients’ survival rates remain dismal even with surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. The nasal-drop method offers several advantages:Non-invasive: Avoids the need for risky brain surgeries or direct tumour injections.Direct delivery: By travelling along nerves rather than through the bloodstream, it ensures the nanomedicine reaches the brain tumour more efficiently. Immune-based therapy: Rather than just killing tumour cells directly, it harnesses the body’s own immune system, which may reduce side-effects and improve long-term control. In mice, a single or two nasal doses, when combined with immunotherapy agents that activate T cells, eliminated tumours and even provided long-term immunity against recurrence.

The caveats

Despite the dramatic results in preclinical (animal) studies, applying this to humans remains a challenge. As of now, human trials have not begun. There are unanswered questions about long-term safety, whether the treatment will be equally effective in humans, and whether all varieties of glioblastoma will respond. Further, activating the STING pathway alone may not be enough, researchers indicate that combining this with other immune-activating strategies might be necessary for maximal effect.

What this could mean

If future trials succeed, this nasal-spray nanomedicine could fundamentally change how we treat brain cancers, shifting from invasive surgery and toxic drugs to a simpler, immune-based, non-invasive therapy. For patients, that could mean fewer side-effects, easier administration, and potentially better outcomes.