Drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier for the treatment of pediatric brain tumors – An update

Even though the last decade has seen a surge in the identification of molecular targets and targeted therapies in pediatric brain tumors, the blood brain barrier (BBB) remains a significant challenge in systemic drug delivery. This continues to undermine therapeutic efficacy. Recent efforts have identified several strategies that can facilitate enhanced drug delivery into pediatric brain tumors. These include invasive methods such as intra-arterial, intrathecal, and convection enhanced delivery and non-invasive technologies that allow for transient access across the BBB, including focused ultrasound and nanotechnology. This review discusses current strategies that are being used to enhance delivery of different therapies across the BBB to the tumor site - a major unmet need in pediatric neuro-oncology.