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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Models and Methods to Evaluate Transport of Drug Delivery Systems Across Cellular Barriers
Published on: October 17, 2013
Blood-brain barrier transport of therapeutics via receptor-mediation
Angela R Jones1, Eric V Shusta
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
Abstract:
Drug delivery to the brain is hindered by the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Although the BBB restricts the passage of many substances, it is actually selectively permeable to nutrients necessary for healthy brain function. To accomplish the task of nutrient transport, the brain endothelium is endowed with a diverse collection of molecular transport systems. One such class of transport system, known as a receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT), employs the vesicular trafficking machinery of the endothelium to transport substrates between blood and brain. If appropriately targeted, RMT systems can also be used to shuttle a wide range of therapeutics into the brain in a noninvasive manner. Over the last decade, there have been significant developments in the arena of RMT-based brain drug transport, and this review will focus on those approaches that have been validated in an in vivo setting.
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