Overcoming the Blood-Brain Barrier for Drug Delivery to the Brain
Jennifer S. Katz, Hasan Slika, Shahab Aldin Sattari, Adarsha P. Malla, Yuanxuan Xia, Albert Antar, Kathleen R. Ran, Betty Tyler
Abstract
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) greatly hinders the delivery of therapeutic agents to the brain. Vast efforts have been dedicated to exploring novel strategies and developing technologies to enhance the delivery of drugs, nucleic acids, antibodies, etc., effectively in the context of brain tumors, neurodegenerative diseases, and other brain pathologies. These strategies aim to guarantee impactful and targeted accumulation of the delivered agents within the brain or within specific areas or niches through either localized sustained delivery (convection-enhanced delivery and implantable biodegradable polymer-based systems), encapsulation of the agents within vectors that can enhance their ability to penetrate the BBB and achieve proper interstitial distribution (viral vectors, exosomes, and nanoparticles), or modulation of the BBB to facilitate the crossing of the delivered cargo (focused ultrasound and receptor/transporter-mediated delivery). Indeed, exploring these innovative strategies and how they may work synergistically with conventional treatments is crucial to advancing the management of brain pathologies.