Cancer immunotherapy drugs may weaken brain’s barrier, study finds
Pune: A widely used class of cancer immunotherapy drugs may make the blood-brain barrier more permeable, potentially explaining why some patients develop brain metastases during treatment, according to a new study.
Researchers led by Yuval Shaked at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology found that PD-1 inhibitors can prompt immune cells to produce a protein called DKK1. The protein makes the blood-brain barrier, one of the body’s most tightly guarded boundaries, more permeable.
The findings were published in Cancer Discovery. PD-1 inhibitors are immune checkpoint inhibitors. They block signals that prevent immune cells from attacking tumors, allowing the body’s natural defenses to respond more strongly. While effective against many cancers, the drugs may also alter how cancer and its treatments affect the brain.
The study suggests the DKK1-mediated permeability could be a mechanism behind brain metastases in some patients. It also points to new ways to improve drug delivery to the brain by temporarily opening the barrier.
The blood-brain barrier normally restricts the entry of most drugs and pathogens into the brain. Understanding how immunotherapy reshapes it could help researchers manage side effects and design better treatments for brain tumors.
