Glioblastoma (GBM) is the leading cause of high fatality cancer arising within the adult brain. Electrotherapeutic approaches offer new promise for GBM treatment by exploiting innate vulnerabilities of cancer cells to low intensity electric fields. This report describes the preclinical outcomes of a novel electrotherapeutic strategy called Intratumoral Modulation Therapy (IMT) that uses an implanted stimulation system to deliver sustained, titratable, low intensity electric fields directly across GBM-affected brain regions. This pilot technology was applied to in vitro and animal models demonstrating significant and marked reduction in tumor cell viability and a cumulative impact of concurrent IMT and chemotherapy in GBM. No off target neurological effects were observed in treated subjects. Computational modeling predicted IMT field optimization as a means to further bolster treatment efficacy. This sentinel study provides new support for defining the potential of IMT strategies as part of a more effective multimodality treatment platform for GBM.

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Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people globally and remains without definitive treatment. There have been many recent advances in cell-based therapy to replace lost neural circuitry and provide chronic biological sources of therapeutic agents to disease-affected brain regions. Early neural transplantation studies highlighted the challenges of immune rejection, graft integration, and the need for renewable, autologous graft sources. Neurotrophic factors (NTFs) offer a potential class of cytoprotective agents that may complement dopamine (DA) replacement and cell-based therapies in PD. In fact, chronic NTF delivery may be an integral goal of cell transplantation in PD, with ideal grafts consisting of autologous drug (e.g., DA, NTF)-producing cells capable of integration and function in the host brain. This chapter outlines the past and recent preclinical and clinical advances in cell-based and NTF therapies as promising and integrated approaches for the treatment of PD.