ANN ARBOR, Mich. – There is a new synthetic protein nanoparticle that is capable of slipping past the nearly impermeable blood-brain barrier in mice and could deliver cancer-killing drugs directly to malignant brain tumors, University of Michigan researchers said. The study is the first to demonstrate an intravenous medication that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Combined with radiation, the new intravenously injected therapy led to long-term survival in seven out of eight mice. When those seven mice experienced a recurrence of glioblastoma, their immune responses kicked in to prevent cancer’s regrowth. “This is the first study to demonstrate the ability to deliver therapeutic drugs systemically, or intravenously, that can also cross the blood-brain barrier to reach tumors.”