Magnetic nanoparticles can open the blood-brain barrier and deliver molecules directly to the brain, say researchers from the University of Montreal, Polytechnique Montréal, and CHU Sainte-Justine.
This barrier runs inside almost all vessels in the brain and protects it from elements circulating in the blood that may be toxic to the brain. The research is important as currently 98% of therapeutic molecules are also unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. “The barrier is temporary opened at a desired location for approximately 2 hours by a small elevation of the temperature generated by the nanoparticles when exposed to a radio-frequency field,” explained first author and co-inventor Seyed Nasrollah Tabatabaei. “Our tests revealed that this technique is not associated with any inflammation of the brain. This new result could lead to a breakthrough in the way nanoparticles are used in the treatment and diagnosis of brain diseases,” explained the co-investigator, Hélène Girouard. “At the present time, surgery is the only way to treat patients with brain disorders. Moreover, while surgeons are able to operate to remove certain kinds of tumors, some disorders are located in the brain stem, amongst nerves, making surgery impossible,” added collaborator and senior author Anne-Sophie Carret.
Although the technology was developed using murine models and has not yet been tested in humans, the researchers are confident that future research will enable its use in people. “Building on earlier findings and drawing on the global effort of an interdisciplinary team of researchers, this technology proposes a modern version of the vision described almost 40 years ago in the movie Fantastic Voyage, where a miniature submarine navigated in the vascular network to reach a specific region of the brain,” said principal investigator Sylvain Martel. In earlier research, Martel and his team had managed to manipulate the movement of nanoparticles through the body using the magnetic forces generated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines.
To open the blood-brain barrier, the magnetic nanoparticles are sent to the surface of the blood-brain barrier at a desired location in the brain. Although it was not the technique used in this study, the placement could be achieved by using the MRI technology described above. Then, the researchers generated a radio-frequency field. The nanoparticles reacted to the radio-frequency field by dissipating heat thereby creating a mechanical stress on the barrier. This allows a temporary and localized opening of the barrier for diffusion of therapeutics into the brain.
The technique is unique in many ways. “The result is quite significant since we showed in previous experiments that the same nanoparticles can also be used to navigate therapeutic agents in the vascular network using a clinical MRI scanner,” Martel remarked. “Linking the navigation capability with these new results would allow therapeutics to be delivered directly to a specific site of the brain, potentially improving significantly the efficacy of the treatment while avoiding systemic circulation of toxic agents that affect healthy tissues and organs,” Carret added. “While other techniques have been developed for delivering drugs to the blood-brain barrier, they either open it too wide, exposing the brain to great risks, or they are not precise enough, leading to scattering of the drugs and possible unwanted side effect,” Martel said.
Read more: Nanorobotic agents open the blood-brain barrier, offering hope for new brain treatments
The Latest on: Nanorobotic agents
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Nanorobotic agents” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Nanorobotic agents
- The best remaining NFL free agents by positionon March 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm
So, who are the best players still out on the open market? Here's an updated look at some of the top available free agents at each position: Ryan Tannehill Joshua Dobbs Carson Wentz J.K. Dobbins ...
- NFL free agency 2024: Ranking the top 75 free agents, best players available by position, tracking signingson March 14, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Here's looking at the best pending free agents and tracking the list of players as some are tagged or re-signed. The Chiefs used the franchise tag on Jones, and he played for $15.9 million in 2023.
- ICE agents to begin wearing body cameras in 5 citieson March 14, 2024 at 10:15 am
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in five cities will start wearing body-worn cameras as they interact with the public under a new policy announced Wednesday. Acting ICE Director ...
- How to Become a Secret Agent in BitLifeon March 14, 2024 at 8:23 am
Unlike most special careers in BitLife, it doesn’t seem like you need any specific stat buffs to become a secret agent. The main thing you need is enough cash to apply for a mortgage for a spy ...
- ICE agents roll out body-worn cameras to agents in five cities, including Baltimoreon March 13, 2024 at 8:38 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in five cities, including Baltimore, will start wearing body-worn cameras as they interact with the public under a new policy ...
- FBI, border agents arrest alleged Mexican assassin with a violent reputation: 'La Chely'on March 13, 2024 at 5:13 pm
The FBI said in a press release that agents from the El Paso field office’s Street Gang Task Force, as well as agents from the U.S. Border Patrol, arrested Michelle Angelica Pineda at the motel.
- ICE agents begin wearing body cameras in 5 citieson March 13, 2024 at 8:55 am
March 13 (UPI) --Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in five U.S. cities started wearing body cameras Wednesday as required by an executive order from President Joe Biden. ICE agents in ...
- Louisiana Law Lets Wildlife Agents Trespass on Private Propertyon March 13, 2024 at 6:00 am
A Louisiana law allows state wildlife agents to come onto private property without a warrant or the owner's permission. One property owner is suing, seeking to get the practice declared ...
- The Secrets Factoryon March 5, 2024 at 6:17 am
The company, Registered Agents Inc., is a one-stop shop for people seeking to incorporate a business in any US state, often in those with advantageous tax policies, while obscuring their identities.
via Bing News