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Montreal researchers have found a new way to deliver drugs to the brain by using nanoparticles, which cross the barrier between the blood system and the brain, to treat brain diseases.
According to researchers from the National Scientific Research Institute (INRS), this advance would improve the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases affecting more than 141,000 Quebecers.
The study conducted by researcher Jean-Michel Rabanel, under the direction of Professor Charles Ramassamy, showed that nanoparticles, by crossing the blood-brain barrier which is difficult to cross, can be captured by neuronal cells.
“The blood-brain barrier filters harmful substances so they cannot travel freely in the brain. However, this same barrier also prevents the passage of drugs, “explained pharmacologist Charles Ramassamy.
According to the study published in the Journal of Controlled Release, the doses administered must be high so that a tiny part reaches the brain, the rest will circulate in the blood, which will cause side effects.
“The use of nanoparticles that encapsulate drugs would lead to fewer peripheral side effects by increasing brain efficiency,” INRS said in a news release Monday.
The method has been tested on zebrafish which has the particularity of presenting several advantages. ‘Its blood-brain barrier is similar to that of humans and its transparent body allows us to see the distribution of the nanoparticles in near real time,’ explained Professor Ramassamy.
The research team will continue with laboratory testing before moving on to clinical applications later, it was added.
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