An Optical Approach to Intra-arterial Drug Development for Brain Tumor Treatment

Despite investigations into arterial drug delivery for treating brain tumors since the early 1950s, it remains largely an experimental approach. To investigate arterial drug delivery, one must be able to track tissue drug concentrations and assess background blood flows in the sub-second time frame. Optical pharmacokinetics can track tissue drug and tracer concentrations and deliver results within minutes, thereby avoiding the delays seen with chemical tissue sample analysis. We describe our optics-based approach toward identifying and assessing carriers and peptides for arterial delivery. Our experience demonstrates the power of applying optical tools for arterial pharmacokinetic research while also making a case for optical engineers to help develop better devices to further such applications. Future optical techniques should go beyond tracking drugs to assessing treatment response.