A team of researchers from Oregon State University has made a significant breakthrough in developing nanoparticles that can pass through the brain’s defenses and deliver treatments to immune cells, offering new hope for treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
The brain’s blood-brain barrier (BBB) acts as a biological checkpoint, allowing essential molecules to pass through while keeping out harmful substances. However, this can make it difficult for medical treatments to reach the area of the brain where they are needed most.
In their research, the team designed nanoparticles with carefully chosen peptides that can unlock the BBB gates and target immune cells called microglia. Microglia can become overactive, leading to inflammation that damages various neurological diseases.
The researchers tested their approach in mice with a muscle-loss condition called cachexia, which is often caused by cancer and other diseases. The results showed a significant reversal of cancer cachexia in mice treated with the novel nanoparticles, with 50% less muscle loss compared to control mice.
While Alzheimer’s disease was not specifically studied in this research, the same technique has the potential to work across many different neurological conditions where the immune system is overreactive. The researchers believe that their nanoplatform can deliver therapeutics across the BBB and target microglia, opening new possibilities for treating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
The study, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, presents a significant breakthrough in delivering treatments past the brain’s defenses and offers new hope for patients suffering from neurological diseases.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-could-have-solved-a-massive-obstacle-to-treating-the-brain