Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy: Current Research and Future Perspectives on Glioblastoma

Cancer significantly impacts human quality of life and life expectancy, with an estimated 20 million new cases and 10 million cancer-related deaths worldwide every year. Standard treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical removal, for aggressive cancers, such as glioblastoma, are...

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Main Authors: Zayne Knight, Amalia Ruiz, Jacobo Elies
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Journal of Functional Biomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/16/4/114
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author Zayne Knight
Amalia Ruiz
Jacobo Elies
author_facet Zayne Knight
Amalia Ruiz
Jacobo Elies
author_sort Zayne Knight
collection DOAJ
description Cancer significantly impacts human quality of life and life expectancy, with an estimated 20 million new cases and 10 million cancer-related deaths worldwide every year. Standard treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical removal, for aggressive cancers, such as glioblastoma, are often ineffective in late stages. Glioblastoma, for example, is known for its poor prognosis post-diagnosis, with a median survival time of approximately 15 months. Novel therapies using local electric fields have shown anti-tumour effects in glioblastoma by disrupting mitotic spindle assembly and inhibiting cell growth. However, constant application poses risks like patient burns. Wireless stimulation via piezoelectric nanomaterials offers a safer alternative, requiring ultrasound activation to induce therapeutic effects, such as altering voltage-gated ion channel conductance by depolarising membrane potentials. This review highlights the piezoelectric mechanism, drug delivery, ion channel activation, and current technologies in cancer therapy, emphasising the need for further research to address limitations like biocompatibility in whole systems. The goal is to underscore these areas to inspire new avenues of research and overcome barriers to developing piezoelectric nanoparticle-based cancer therapies.
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spelling doaj-art-fbde197e6b0f48b0be32c3d09a380d122025-08-20T03:13:58ZengMDPI AGJournal of Functional Biomaterials2079-49832025-03-0116411410.3390/jfb16040114Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy: Current Research and Future Perspectives on GlioblastomaZayne Knight0Amalia Ruiz1Jacobo Elies2Centre for Pharmaceutical Engineering Science, School of Pharmacy, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UKInstitute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UKInstitute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UKCancer significantly impacts human quality of life and life expectancy, with an estimated 20 million new cases and 10 million cancer-related deaths worldwide every year. Standard treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical removal, for aggressive cancers, such as glioblastoma, are often ineffective in late stages. Glioblastoma, for example, is known for its poor prognosis post-diagnosis, with a median survival time of approximately 15 months. Novel therapies using local electric fields have shown anti-tumour effects in glioblastoma by disrupting mitotic spindle assembly and inhibiting cell growth. However, constant application poses risks like patient burns. Wireless stimulation via piezoelectric nanomaterials offers a safer alternative, requiring ultrasound activation to induce therapeutic effects, such as altering voltage-gated ion channel conductance by depolarising membrane potentials. This review highlights the piezoelectric mechanism, drug delivery, ion channel activation, and current technologies in cancer therapy, emphasising the need for further research to address limitations like biocompatibility in whole systems. The goal is to underscore these areas to inspire new avenues of research and overcome barriers to developing piezoelectric nanoparticle-based cancer therapies.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/16/4/114piezoelectric nanomaterialscancer therapyglioblastomavoltage-gated ion channelsPiezo channels
spellingShingle Zayne Knight
Amalia Ruiz
Jacobo Elies
Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy: Current Research and Future Perspectives on Glioblastoma
Journal of Functional Biomaterials
piezoelectric nanomaterials
cancer therapy
glioblastoma
voltage-gated ion channels
Piezo channels
title Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy: Current Research and Future Perspectives on Glioblastoma
title_full Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy: Current Research and Future Perspectives on Glioblastoma
title_fullStr Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy: Current Research and Future Perspectives on Glioblastoma
title_full_unstemmed Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy: Current Research and Future Perspectives on Glioblastoma
title_short Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy: Current Research and Future Perspectives on Glioblastoma
title_sort piezoelectric nanomaterials for cancer therapy current research and future perspectives on glioblastoma
topic piezoelectric nanomaterials
cancer therapy
glioblastoma
voltage-gated ion channels
Piezo channels
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/16/4/114
work_keys_str_mv AT zayneknight piezoelectricnanomaterialsforcancertherapycurrentresearchandfutureperspectivesonglioblastoma
AT amaliaruiz piezoelectricnanomaterialsforcancertherapycurrentresearchandfutureperspectivesonglioblastoma
AT jacoboelies piezoelectricnanomaterialsforcancertherapycurrentresearchandfutureperspectivesonglioblastoma