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October 8, 2024A new review by Zhang et al (2024) discusses the use of immune cells as carriers for drug delivery systems to cross the blood-brain barrier. The migratory ability of immune cells can be used to deliver therapeutic agents, such as neurotrophic factors, to the CNS. This approach shows promise in treating neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease by targeting inflamed brain regions and reducing neuroinflammation.
The review highlights a study by Böttger et al (2010) to showcase a promising example where AMSBIO’s BioPORTER® was used as a transfection reagent to facilitate the delivery of nerve growth factor (NGF) by monocytes across a brain capillary endothelial cell monolayer in vitro. The key focus of this research was to explore the potential of monocytes as vehicles for NGF delivery to the brain. The monocytes were loaded with NGF and demonstrated the ability to successfully cross the blood-brain barrier model. The study found that once they crossed, these monocytes could counteract the degeneration of cholinergic neurons, highlighting their potential therapeutic application for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. The use of BioPORTER® in this context was essential for efficient delivery of NGF to the monocytes without causing cellular toxicity.
Therefore, this provides a promising model for drug delivery through immune cells, particularly in targeting neurodegenerative conditions, by leveraging the natural migration capabilities of immune cells. To find out more how BioPORTER® protein delivery reagent can be used for the direction translocation of proteins into living cells visit our webpage here.
