Melbourne: Researchers in Australia are developing a new class of cancer drugs that can break through the blood-brain barrier, a protective shield that currently blocks around 98 percent of cancer drugs from reaching brain tissue.

The national project, which has received 18.8 million Australian dollars in government funding, aims to develop brain-penetrating drugs that can overcome one of the biggest barriers to brain cancer treatment. Researchers plan to "hijack" the blood-brain barrier's natural nutrient delivery pathways to "smuggle cancer-killing molecules into the brain," said lead investigator Associate Professor Jim Whittle of WEHI.

The brain relies on natural delivery systems to transport essential nutrients such as iron and glucose from the bloodstream. Cells in the blood-brain barrier contain specialised "docking stations" that recognise and actively draw these nutrients into the brain. The approach could unlock a new class of brain-penetrating drugs and create an opportunity to test existing cancer drugs that have previously failed to reach the brain.

The researchers said the team will initially target high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma in adults and diffuse midline glioma in children.

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