# MSC-Derived Exosomes and MicroRNA in Glioma Therapy

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2020 · $366,000

## Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and deadly adult primary brain tumor, is notoriously resistant to therapy,
not only because of its unique biology, including Glioma Stem-like Cells (GSCs), but also because of the delivery
challenges imposed by the blood-brain and blood-tumor barriers. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify
effective GBM-specific therapeutics and to elucidate strategies for delivering these new agents. A promising new
approach is treatment with microRNAs (miRs), which are small, noncoding RNAs that are powerful regulators of
gene expression. We have shown that restoration of tumor suppressor miRs is capable of killing GSCs and,
therefore, treatment with miRs is potentially a new paradigm in GBM therapy. However, it is currently unknown
which miRs will be most effective against GBMs and how these miRs should be delivered. This grant is significant
because it directly addresses both of these problems by identifying the most effect anti-GBM miRs and by
developing exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a new delivery strategy
for these miRs. Exosomes are naturally occurring nanovesicles that function as intercellular transport vehicles.
We hypothesize that miRs can be used as effective therapeutics against GBMs, and that exosomes derived from
cultured MSCs can be used to systemically deliver these antiglioma miRs. Aim 1 will identify miRs that are most
effective against GSCs. In an in vitro high-throughput screen (HTS) of 578 miRs against a panel of GSCs, we
have already identified 50 antiglioma miRs that effectively kill GSCs in vitro. This aim will use an in vivo HTS to
determine which of the 50 top candidates is most effective against orthotopic GSCs in mice, and it will define the
most effective miR combinations. Mechanistic studies will identify the target(s) responsible for the anti-GBM
effects. Aim 2 will develop MSC-derived exosomes as novel delivery vehicles of antiglioma miRs. We have
shown that after transduction with lentiviruses containing antiglioma miRs, MSCs package the miRs into
exosomes (called Exos-miRs) and secrete the Exo-miRs into the culture medium. These Exo-miRs can be
isolated and delivered systemically, after which they home to GSCs and inhibit target genes. This aim will define
the optimal dose/schedule of Exos-miRs using bioluminescence imaging and a novel TET-reporter system. This
dose/schedule will be used to test the efficacy and safety of the best antiglioma miRs or miR combinations
identified in Aim 1. Aim 3 will elucidate the mechanisms underlying the ability of Exos-miRs to home to GBMs.
By using proteomic analyses to compare strongly homing exosomes (MSC-Exos) with poorly homing ones
(fibroblast-Exos), we have identified candidate homing proteins. In this aim, we will perform functional analyses
to determine the extent to which the identified proteins mediate the homing of Exo-miRs to GBMs. Successful
completion of this grant will result in a new and integrated age...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9829036
- **Project number:** 5R01CA214749-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** FREDERICK F LANG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $366,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-12-11 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9829036

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9829036, MSC-Derived Exosomes and MicroRNA in Glioma Therapy (5R01CA214749-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9829036. Licensed CC0.

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