Nanopolymeric systems to improve brain cancer treatment outcomes

Abstract Brain tumors, especially glioblastomas, are an unsolved clinical problem and a challenge for the current medical science given the limitations of conventional therapies. Brain physiology has distinct characteristics and to overcome them, several strategies using distribution systems are being developed, including polymeric nanoproducts, such as nanoparticles and nanofibers. These systems are usually stable in biological fluids, making them a promising approach to provide controlled and targeted release of drugs, thereby reducing toxicity following systemic administration. Moreover, molecular changes are extremely important to understand GBs and this knowledge could potentially be used for the design of targeted therapy. In this chapter, our focus and main interest will be on nanopolymeric systems, its various types, their efficacy and impact on brain cancer therapy, more specifically on GB treatment, how they can bring enhancements in the efficiency of traditional chemotherapy drugs and how to study polymeric interactions with drugs with multiscale computational methods.