# Radiation-induced targeted extracellular vesicles -based gene delivery for glioma therapy

> **NIH NIH R21** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2021 · $206,600

## Abstract

Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis. Therapeutic
suppression of immune checkpoint molecules elicits a tumor immune response and improves long-term
survival in several types of cancers. GBM cells highly express immune checkpoint molecules including
programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) a critical “don’t find me” signal to the adaptive immune system, and
CD47, a “don’t eat me” signal to the innate immune system as well as a regulator of the adaptive immune
response. Although radiation therapy has been shown to counteracts the immunosuppressive GBM
microenvironment by enhancing the presentation of normally suppressed tumor-associated antigens,
promoting CD8+ T cell recruitment, radiation enhances even further the expression of PD-L1 on tumor and
microenvironment. Unfortunately, little effect has been observed with checkpoint inhibitors against GBM. An
effective GBM therapy requires a delivery system that reaches the tumor in the brain, with limited systemic
effect. Endogenous small vesicles known as extracellular vesicles (EVs) hold a great promise as a delivery
vehicle given their unique properties including low immunogenicity and innate stability. However,
intravenous delivery of EVs to the brain remains a major challenge due to poor targeting of unmodified EVs,
which can be improved by surface modification. Our preliminary results shows that The cyclo(Arg-Gly-Asp-
D-Tyr-Lys) peptide, which exhibits high affinity to integrin αvβ3 on tumor vascular endothelial cells, could be
conjugated on EVs surface (derived from FDA-approved normal neural progenitor cells), resulting in
improved EV accumulation in brain tumors after intravenous administration. Furthermore, building on recent
studies showing that short bursts of radiation therapy can prime tumors for enhanced accumulation and
intratumoral distribution of nanotherapeutics in tumor-associated macrophages-dependent fashion, we
showed that glioblastomas primed with radiation had an enhanced uptake of targeted EVs. In this proposal,
we will take advantage of these unique characteristics of targeted EVs and load them with small interfering
RNAs (siRNAs) against PD-L1 and CD47 to achieve enhanced immune response at the glioblastoma site,
primed with radiation. We will evaluate whether radiation therapy will prime glioblastomas for enhanced
uptake of these targeted EV across the BBB to deliver siRNAs to GBM, to increase CD8 T cells cytotoxic
activity, thus halting tumor growth and prolonging animal survival in a syngeneic graft GBM mouse model.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10058293
- **Project number:** 5R21NS111922-02
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** BAKHOS A TANNOUS
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $206,600
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-12-01 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10058293

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10058293, Radiation-induced targeted extracellular vesicles -based gene delivery for glioma therapy (5R21NS111922-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10058293. Licensed CC0.

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