Medical research for neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s faces a large obstacle since there is no way to administer drugs directly to the brain, because none can cross the natural blood-brain barrier that protects the brain against toxins, reports the Telegraph.
There is new hope according to a study published in Nature Biotechnology that shows researchers at the University of Oxford have managed to cross the barrier in mice by using tiny particles naturally released by cells called exosomes.
Injected into the blood, they crossed the blood-brain barrier in mice, allowing a drug to be administered directly into the brain to turn off the gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Several safety measures must be taken and much more research is required before human trials. If the results are promising, neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and muscular dystrophy may be treatable with this new method.
Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research, said: ”In this exciting study, researchers may have overcome a major barrier to the delivery of potential new drugs for many neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s.