Glioblastoma heterogeneity and resistance: A glance in biology and therapeutic approach

Glioblastomas (GB) are aggressive brain tumors characterized for remarkably resistance to conventional therapies, resulting in low patient survival rates. Despite all the efforts to improve the therapeutic approaches, the truth is that GB heterogeneity and the existence of a Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) have been associated with most treatments’ failure. This chapter focuses on the new therapeutical avenues to overcome these main treatment limitations. We discuss the use of single-cell analysis and how it could be one of the alternatives to unravel GB heterogeneity by helping to identify new molecular targets. Additionally, we highlight the recent advances in the synthetic nanoparticles field to overcome the BBB challenge by acting as a drug-delivery system to the brain and targeting the GB. We culminate, bringing to light the most relevant clinical trials in the course using the described technology and methodology along this chapter to cure this tumor. Herein, an overview of GB research’s recent advances and challenges is provided to set the stage for future directions.