(Picture: The research team led by Dr. Wang Yi, an assistant professor of the Department of Chemistry of HKBU, developed near-infrared persistent luminescence nanoparticles TRZD to help diagnose and treat glioma.) Glioma is the most common primary brain malignant tumor, accounting for about one third of all brain tumors. Hong Kong Baptist University has synthesized a kind of nanoparticles named TRZD, which can simultaneously perform two functions of diagnosing and treating brain glioma. It can continuously emit light, make imaging diagnosis for glioma cell tissues in vivo, and inhibit tumor cell growth through targeted delivery of chemotherapy drugs, without damaging normal brain tissue. The research results have been published in the international scientific journal Science Advances. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most commonly used diagnostic method for glioma, but its sensitivity is limited, and relatively rare cerebellar glioma is difficult to be detected. Although doxorubicin is an effective chemotherapy drug for glioma, it may damage normal cells and cause a series of side effects. The research team led by Wang Yi, an assistant professor of the Department of Chemistry of HKBU, and Luo Jiali, a professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Science and Technology of PolyU, synthesized a new near-infrared sustained luminescence nanoparticles named TRZD, which can be simultaneously used as a drug carrier for the development diagnosis and treatment of glioma. The mouse experiment proved that the characteristic of TRZD with significant effect was that it would continuously emit near-infrared after being irradiated by ultraviolet light. Its basic structure is a group of nano particles containing porous silica, making it an ideal carrier for doxorubicin particles. The research team evaluated the effectiveness of TRZ (TRZD without doxorubicin) in imaging diagnosis through a mouse model. TRZ was first irradiated by ultraviolet light, and then injected into mice whose brain and cerebellum were implanted with tumor tissue after luminescence. In the following 24 hours, TRZ light can be detected in the tumor cell regions of the mouse brain and cerebellum. This indicates that TRZ is a potential bioimaging agent for the diagnosis of glioma. The research team also further evaluated the anti-tumor effect of TRZD. The team injected TRZD embedded with T7 peptide into mice whose brain and cerebellum were injected with tumor tissue. In the following 15 days, the tumor diameter was reduced to 1mm on average, and the average life span was 20 days longer than that of control mice. In addition, cell death was concentrated in the tumor area, while normal brain tissue was not damaged. Wang Yi said that TRZD has a highly targeted therapeutic effect on glioma. This is because T7 peptide has a high affinity for the receptors on the surface of tumor cells, and can penetrate the blood brain barrier, so that doxorubicin can be transmitted to tumor cells. On the whole, TRZD has great potential to develop into a new generation of anti glioma drugs, playing a dual role in diagnosis and treatment. (Liu Xinshe)