Blood-brain barrier

The lamprey is not something you’d normally want anywhere near your brain. But now, researchers have used molecules taken from the freaky fish’s immune system to deliver drugs inside the body – and even managed to sneak them into the brain.

Building on recent research finding associations between a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier and the onset of cognitive impairment, a new study has homed in on a specific blood-clotting protein that can trigger synaptic damage after leaking into the brain.

New research has revealed an association between a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier and the onset of cognitive impairment. The study suggests leaky capillaries in the brain can act as an early biomarker of cognitive decline, and a new drug for stroke patients may be an effective treatment.

A new review article from a team at the University of Southern California is suggesting leaks in the blood-brain barrier could be a useful early warning sign signaling the onset of everything from Alzheimer's disease to multiple sclerosis before visible symptoms appear.

The blood-brain barrier is an effective shield against infection, but it’s not so helpful when you’re trying to get drugs in there. Nasal sprays could bypass the barrier, and now researchers have developed a way to use ultrasound pulses to drive the drugs to where in the brain they’re needed.

Scientists have successfully used the brains of locusts as a testbed for a new type of drug delivery system, one that could see life-saving medicines carried directly to the brain by way of a simple sniff. ​

A new type of engineered fat cell could make early-stage, difficult-to-detect brain tumors more treatable, by penetrating the blood-brain barrier and revealing their presence at a much earlier stage of development. ​

Researchers have non-invasively breached the blood-brain barrier for the first time in a human subject, allowing chemotherapy drugs to be delivered to a brain cancer patient with a high level of precision.