Blood-to-brain drug delivery using nanocarriers

Abstract

Brain and nervous system disorders represent a large, unmet medical need affecting two billion people worldwide; a number that is expected to grow with increasing life expectancy and the expanding global population. CNS drug development is hampered by the restricted transport of drug candidates across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We will discuss blood-to-brain drug delivery strategies that make use of nanocarriers, like liposomes, albumin nanoparticles, and polymeric nanoparticles. The focus will be on the key pharmaceutical, pharmacological, and regulatory aspects towards the clinical development of nanocarriers. Clinical development of treatments employing nanocarriers is not as straightforward as for a single active moiety; therefore, we will highlight the issues that should be considered when translating basic research towards clinical development. Although it is still unrealistic to expect a magic bullet for exclusive CNS drug delivery, much progress has been made towards successful development of novel treatments for patients with devastating brain diseases.