2017 Science@CornellVet: Overcoming the barrier to the brain: Repurposed drug gives hope to glioblastoma patient

Abstract

This blog post is about: Our brain is protected by a cellular barrier known as the blood-brain barrier. The difficulty in delivering therapeutic compounds to the brain lies partly in the existence of a blood-brain barrier protein known as P-glycoprotein, or P-gp. P-gp acts as a gatekeeper, allowing only essential nutrients to get into the brain while keeping toxic chemicals away. Although protective, P-gp is also a major obstacle to treating brain disorders such as glioblastoma, because it can block the entry of drugs that could otherwise be helpful to treat the disease. “P-gp is the bottleneck that blocks treatment of neurological conditions,” says Dr. Margaret Bynoe, professor of Immunology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Bynoe and her colleagues target P-gp as a way to open the blood-brain barrier and get therapeutic compounds into the brain.