Longevity science

The first known method to permanently bypass the blood-brain barrier*, using mucosa, or the lining of the nose, has been demonstrated by researchers in the department of Otology and Laryngology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School and the Biomedical Engineering Department of Boston University.

The method opens the door to new treatment options for those with neurodegenerative and CNS disease.

In an experiment that may help develop new ways to treat brain diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer, researchers used MRI, ultrasounds and microbubbles to guide drugs.

"Researchers at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital have developed a new category of non-toxic, protein-based green nanoparticles that can non-invasively cross the blood brain barrier and transport various types of drugs."

The particles "crossed and/or bypassed the blood-brain barrier without enhancers or modifications, unlike other nanoparticles. These findings open the door to exploring..."