Study Reveals Possible Breakthrough in Drug Delivery to the Brain

Researchers at Cornell University may have made a breakthrough in determining how to safely open and close the blood-brain barrier – the specialized cells that constitute the brain’s blood vessels. Because the barrier limits entry to essential molecules that the brain requires, delivering drugs to the brain to help provide treatment has been severely limited.

However, in a new study featured in the Sept. 14, 2011, Journal of Neuroscience, researchers found that adenosine, a molecule produced by the body, can modulate entry of large molecules into the brain. According to the study, they discovered that when adenosine receptors on cells that make up the blood-brain barrier are activated, an entryway into the blood-brain barrier can be established. To read more on this story, click here.