Theranostics Dendrimer for Brain Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment

Brain tumors have become one of the deadliest types of cancer. Tragically, the blood-brain barrier (BBB), an astringent regulatory, well-coordinated, and effectual obstacle, prevents most substances from passing through it. As a result, breaking through this hurdle is amongst the most difficult challenges in devising effective CNS therapies. In the USA, approximately seven lakh people have a principal brain malignancy, with an ample eighty-five thousand predicted to be afflicted by 2021. Capillaries are essential for delivering oxygen and nutrients to all body tissue and vital organs. The capillaries that vascularize the CNS have a special feature known as the blood-brain barrier, which enables such vessels to firmly enforce the transfer of ions, substances, and cells in-between the blood-brain barrier. This accurate estimation of CNS homeostasis leads to proper neuronal function while also protecting neural tissue from toxic substances and microorganisms, and changes in such mechanical strength are a major aspect of the pathology and transformation of various neurological diseases. Theranostic strategies were also postulated and deemed enticing in recent times. Due to the smaller size, better topical functionalization, and capability to integrate various processing elements in one system, nanotechnology is beneficial for this system. For cancer therapy, the structure of nanotherapeutic systems focusing on diagnostic and therapeutic applications is increasing tremendously. This dual system is extremely useful for personalized medicine-based clinical applications because it seeks to analyze the position of malignancy, the biodistribution of nanosized systems, along with an advanced and efficacious therapy. Proteins, molecular markers, and genes are some of the theranostic strategies that could be used to amplify the surface of the nanotheranostics particle and make benefit of the features of the micro-environment utilising stimulus-based triggers. The current chapter focused on the theranostic approach of dendrimer for brain tumor treatment. It also enlightened about various diagnostic techniques for brain tumors with a special emphasis on nanotherapeutics. 

Keywords: Blood-Brain Barrier, Brain tumor, Dendrimers, Theranostics.