Implantable pump drip-feeds chemotherapy directly into brain tumors
Researchers at Columbia University and New York Presbyterian have developed an implantable pump that can continuously deliver chemotherapy drugs directly into the brain to fight hard-to-treat cancer. In a phase 1b trial, patients were able to undergo the therapy while going about their day-to-day activities.The blood vessels that feed the brain are very selective about what molecules get through. While this blood-brain barrier is important for keeping microbes and foreign material out of the brain, unfortunately most…