Engineered Commensals as Next-Generation Drug Delivery Agents for Nose-to-Brain Therapeutics in Neurological...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke, and glioma, present significant therapeutic challenges.
• The blood-brain barrier (BBB) restricts the effective delivery of therapeutics to the brain.
• Intranasal administration offers a noninvasive route for direct nose-to-brain drug delivery, bypassing the BBB.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of engineered living materials (ELMs) as a transformative strategy for CNS disorder treatment.
• To develop a bioengineered commensal-based delivery system for effective drug transport across the BBB via the intranasal route.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging advances in synthetic biology and materials engineering to create dynamic ELMs.
• Embedding mammalian cells, bacteria, or viruses within engineered matrices for therapeutic applications.
• Utilizing intrinsic or engineered capabilities of ELMs for targeted delivery and therapeutic production.

Main Results:

• Engineered living materials (ELMs) demonstrate potential as next-generation therapeutic platforms.
• ELMs possess capabilities for disease-targeted migration, localized therapeutic production, and adaptive delivery.
• The intranasal route combined with ELMs shows promise for bypassing the BBB.

Conclusions:

• Bioengineered commensal-based delivery systems using the intranasal route represent a transformative strategy for CNS disorders.
• This approach could significantly advance neurotherapeutic research by enabling effective drug delivery across the BBB.