Induction of glioblastoma apoptosis using neural stem cell-mediated delivery of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand.

Current therapies for gliomas fail to address their highly infiltrative nature. Standard treatments often leave behind microscopic neoplastic reservoirs, resulting in eventual tumor recurrence. Neural stem cells (NSCs) are capable of tracking disseminating glioma cells. To exploit this tropism to develop a therapeutic strategy that targeted tumor satellites, we inoculated human glioblastoma xenografts with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-secreting NSCs. This resulted in the dramatic induction of apoptosis in treated tumors and tumor satellites and was associated with significant inhibition of tumor growth. These results add credence to the potential of NSCs as therapeutically effective delivery vehicles for the treatment of intracranial glioma.