About this Research Topic
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is one of the main obstacles to the development of effective treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. The BBB is a highly selective barrier composed of polarized endothelial cells connected by tight junctions and several transporters responsible for its extremely low permeability, limiting the delivery of drugs to the Central Nervous System (CNS). Indeed, while it is responsible for providing a homeostatic microenvironment promoting the supply of nutrients to the brain and removal of metabolic products to protect the CNS, at the same time the BBB prevents the passage of approximately 98% of small-molecule drugs and almost all macromolecular drugs.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one in five people worldwide suffer from CNS disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), brain cancer, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), etc. Unfortunately, this number is expected to increase with progressive and devastating impacts on the social and economic situation. Therefore, new successful strategies for the treatment of CNS disorders are urgently required. To date, several novel approaches have been developed. These extend from disrupting and reversibly opening the barrier itself, inhibiting efflux transporters, and leveraging alternate administrative routes (e.g. intranasal delivery) as well. However, permanent disruption of the BBB, toxicity, and/or lack of efficacy may arise, by limiting their use. Additionally, nanocarriers-mediated drug delivery, which include liposomes, exosomes, peptide conjugated molecules, nanoparticles, and many more, are emerging as promising methods to deliver therapeutic agents across the BBB. In this context, it has been reported that pathways such as adsorptive- and receptor-mediated transcytosis, use of transport proteins, etc., successfully reach the CNS. Nonetheless, these processes are poorly understood at the subcellular level and need further clarification. In fact, the lack of an optimal cellular model that can reflect the complexity of the BBB, in particular regarding the expression and function of target receptors and carrier proteins, represents a further obstacle in the administration of drugs to the CNS.
This Research Topic aims to collect original research articles, reviews, and mini-reviews focused on the optimization of in vitro BBB models, including microfluidic platforms and iPSC-derived models, as well as novel strategies for successful drug delivery systems targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following subjects:
- Nanocarriers-mediated drug delivery;
- Novel transcytotic receptors and delivery mechanisms;
- Delivery of antibodies and other biologics to the brain;
- Targeting of receptors and uptake transport proteins
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one in five people worldwide suffer from CNS disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), brain cancer, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), etc. Unfortunately, this number is expected to increase with progressive and devastating impacts on the social and economic situation. Therefore, new successful strategies for the treatment of CNS disorders are urgently required. To date, several novel approaches have been developed. These extend from disrupting and reversibly opening the barrier itself, inhibiting efflux transporters, and leveraging alternate administrative routes (e.g. intranasal delivery) as well. However, permanent disruption of the BBB, toxicity, and/or lack of efficacy may arise, by limiting their use. Additionally, nanocarriers-mediated drug delivery, which include liposomes, exosomes, peptide conjugated molecules, nanoparticles, and many more, are emerging as promising methods to deliver therapeutic agents across the BBB. In this context, it has been reported that pathways such as adsorptive- and receptor-mediated transcytosis, use of transport proteins, etc., successfully reach the CNS. Nonetheless, these processes are poorly understood at the subcellular level and need further clarification. In fact, the lack of an optimal cellular model that can reflect the complexity of the BBB, in particular regarding the expression and function of target receptors and carrier proteins, represents a further obstacle in the administration of drugs to the CNS.
This Research Topic aims to collect original research articles, reviews, and mini-reviews focused on the optimization of in vitro BBB models, including microfluidic platforms and iPSC-derived models, as well as novel strategies for successful drug delivery systems targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following subjects:
- Nanocarriers-mediated drug delivery;
- Novel transcytotic receptors and delivery mechanisms;
- Delivery of antibodies and other biologics to the brain;
- Targeting of receptors and uptake transport proteins
Keywords: Blood-Brain Barrier, Brain disorders, transcytosis, nanoparticles, liposomes, CNS drug delivery, BBB in vitro models, transporters
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
