The development of new accelerators has given a new impetus to the development of new drugs and treatment technologies using boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). We analyzed the current status and future directions of BNCT for cancer treatment, as well as the main issues related to its introduction. This review highlights the principles of BNCT and the key milestones in its development: new boron delivery drugs and different types of charged particle accelerators are described; several important aspects of BNCT implementation are discussed. BCNT could be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and it is evaluated in light of the outlined issues. For the speedy implementation of BCNT in medical practice, it is necessary to develop more selective boron delivery agents and to generate an epithermal neutron beam with definite characteristics. Pharmacological companies and research laboratories should have access to accelerators for large‐scale screening of new, more specific boron delivery agents.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and fatal primary brain tumor, is highly resistant to conventional radiation and chemotherapy, and is not amenable to effective surgical resection. The present review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of therapeutic resistance of GBM to already known drugs, the molecular characteristics of glioblastoma cells, and the barriers in the brain that underlie drug resistance. We also discuss the progress that has been made in the development of new targeted drugs for glioblastoma, as well as advances in drug delivery across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and blood–brain tumor barrier (BBTB).

Pyrazinamide (PZA), an important first-line drug for anti-tuberculosis treatment, demonstrates potent activity against semi-dormant bacilli in acidic environments. However, the diagnosis of PZA resistance is often impeded by technical difficulties. To characterise mutations in the pncA and rpsA genes among PZA-resistant and PZA-susceptible clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates circulating in Kazakhstan. The potential use of genotyping to identify PZA resistance was also investigated. PZA drug susceptibility testing and pncA and rpsA gene sequencing were performed on 77 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates; mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) typing was performed on 74 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates. Of the 77 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates, 41 (53.2%) were phenotypically resistant to PZA, whereas 36 (46.7%) were susceptible; 48 (62.3%) of these isolates were also multidrug-resistant (MDR). Furthermore, 38 (49.3%) clinical isolates showed mutations in the pncA gene and its flanking region; the majority of these isolates (n = 36, 94.7%) were also MDR. Gene sequencing showed that only synonymous substitutions affecting rpsA occurred. MIRU-VNTR typing revealed that 78.4% of isolates were of the Beijing genotype. Sequencing revealed that mutations in pncA, but not in rpsA, occurred in PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates circulating in the territory of Kazakhstan.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary radiotherapeutic approach to the treatment of malignant tumors, especially glioblastoma, the most frequent and incurable brain tumor. For successful BNCT, a boron-containing therapeutic agent should provide selective and effective accumulation of ¹⁰B isotope inside target cells, which are then destroyed after neutron irradiation. Nucleic acid aptamers look like very prospective candidates for carrying ¹⁰B to the tumor cells. This study represents the first example of using 2′-F-RNA aptamer GL44 specific to the human glioblastoma U-87 MG cells as a boron delivery agent for BNCT. The closo-dodecaborate residue was attached to the 5′-end of the aptamer, which was also labeled by the fluorophore at the 3′-end. The resulting bifunctional conjugate showed effective and specific internalization into U-87 MG cells and low toxicity. After incubation with the conjugate, the cells were irradiated by epithermal neutrons on the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics neutron source. Evaluation of the cell proliferation by real-time cell monitoring and the clonogenic test revealed that boron-loaded aptamer decreased specifically the viability of U-87 MG cells to the extent comparable to that of ¹⁰B-boronophenylalanine taken as a control. Therefore, we have demonstrated a proof of principle of employing aptamers for targeted delivery of boron-10 isotope in BNCT. Considering their specificity, ease of synthesis, and large toolkit of chemical approaches for high boron-loading, aptamers provide a promising basis for engineering novel BNCT agents.

Bacteriophages have long been considered only as infectious agents that affect bacterial hosts. However, recent studies provide compelling evidence that these viruses are able to successfully interact with eukaryotic cells at the levels of the binding, entry and expression of their own genes. Currently, bacteriophages are widely used in various areas of biotechnology and medicine, but the most intriguing of them is cancer therapy. There are increasing studies confirming the efficacy and safety of using phage-based vectors as a systemic delivery vehicle of therapeutic genes and drugs in cancer therapy. Engineered bacteriophages, as well as eukaryotic viruses, demonstrate a much greater efficiency of transgene delivery and expression in cancer cells compared to non-viral gene transfer methods. At the same time, phage-based vectors, in contrast to eukaryotic viruses-based vectors, have no natural tropism to mammalian cells and, as a result, provide more selective delivery of therapeutic cargos to target cells. Moreover, numerous data indicate the presence of more complex molecular mechanisms of interaction between bacteriophages and eukaryotic cells, the further study of which is necessary both for the development of gene therapy methods and for understanding the cancer nature. In this review, we summarize the key results of research into aspects of phage–eukaryotic cell interaction and, in particular, the use of phage-based vectors for highly selective and effective systemic cancer gene therapy.