Localized IL-15 Immunotherapy with a Delayed-Release Implant for Glioblastoma

A multidisciplinary team at the University of Cincinnati is developing an implantable, delayed-release IL-15 wafer designed for placement in the glioblastoma resection cavity immediately after tumor removal.

Surgery creates a brief access window to treat residual microscopic disease at the cavity margin, where blood–brain barrier constraints and a relatively “cold” CNS immune microenvironment can limit systemic immunotherapy. Preclinical evaluation is being set up with a glioblastoma-on-a-chip (organ-on-a-chip) platform to probe local immune stimulation, including a bioprinted vascular channel intended to model transport through tumor tissue.

Even after gross total resection, infiltrative tumor cells can persist in adjacent brain, leaving a peri-cavity zone where recurrence often reappears despite maximal cytoreduction. Large-molecule agents still contend with limited permeability across the blood–brain barrier, and the CNS immune milieu is commonly framed as less inflamed—raising the threshold for a productive systemic immune response. Focal delivery at the moment of surgical access may better concentrate immune activation where residual disease is most likely to reside.

The device concept is a delayed-release wafer placed into the resection cavity at the end of surgery, aiming drug exposure at the margin most at risk for microscopic persistence. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is the selected immunostimulatory payload, and the claims remain mechanistic rather than outcome-based. IL-15 is described as activating immune populations involved in tumor recognition and killing, supporting immune-cell survival, expanding immune-cell numbers, and strengthening cytotoxic function—seeking a local peri-cavity immune signal without depending on high systemic exposure.

Development remains preclinical and is supported by a $40,000 grant, with initial work focused on whether the approach can stimulate immunity in a controlled experimental system.