What if the blood-brain barrier is the solution, not the problem? Written byBree Foster, PhD +++

What if the blood-brain barrier is the solution, not the problem? Montara Therapeutics is taking a different approach to CNS drug development by using the blood-brain barrier to restrict drug activity outside the brain and reduce dose-limiting toxicities. Written byBree Foster, PhD https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/what-if-the-blood-brain-barrier-is-the-solution-not-the-problem-17407?utm_campaign=DDN_Newsletter_Dose&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9UbOzN886dDE_jS86bOOXHOlIPJEoBXl_2BH-FgW-6ztnu-TdVRwFpbJ78vg8y4p0lH5-YAnnQac8lO6rIvnjV0MT_lA&_hsmi=431527068&utm_content=431527068&utm_source=hs_email The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the central nervous system (CNS) by preventing toxins, pathogens, and other circulating molecules from entering the brain. While essential for maintaining brain health, it also blocks more than 98 percent of small molecule drugs and virtually all biologic therapeutics, making neurological diseases among the most difficult to treat. Engineered macrophages show promise against brain metastases Wake Forest researchers have reprogrammed macrophages to target metastatic tumors in the brain, offering a potential new approach where conventional therapies struggle. Written byBree Foster, PhD https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/engineered-macrophages-show-promise-against-brain-metastases-17048?utm_campaign=DDN_Newsletter_Dose&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_CMt92Ubb_ES2Q-j_v7zUF0VxQqgpg0xZoR6LXJrlMGfgF2utCbOpxNYrLrXdss341ylbqT5RBf-AMLQVu1MyscPZB2g&_hsmi=431527068&utm_content=431527068&utm_source=hs_email Brain metastases are a growing and urgent problem in cancer care. Up to 30 percent of patients with lung, breast, or melanoma cancers will develop brain metastases, where treatment options are limited, and prognosis is poor. Surgery is often risky, radiation offers only modest control, and most drugs simply cannot cross the brain’s protective blood-brain barrier. For patients and their families, a diagnosis of brain metastasis remains a grim turning point. New gene therapy platform uses the brain's own transport system to target glial cells A new platform combines engineered viral vectors with the brain's glymphatic system to improve gene delivery to glial cells implicated in multiple neurological disorders. Written byBree Foster, PhD https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/new-gene-therapy-platform-uses-the-brain-s-own-transport-system-to-target-glial-cells-17318?utm_campaign=DDN_Newsletter_Dose&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9fvOUGjErE8anYvuq9a3tL61H2o7a4TFGbWoO332FyrcKG5aFovPzl3KZgpNCs0D-svQk13VnTOR7ptH3yjm8mA_KcfQ&_hsmi=431527068&utm_content=431527068&utm_source=hs_email For decades, gene therapy for neurological disease has been constrained by two problems: getting therapeutic genes into the brain and ensuring they reach the cells that matter. The blood-brain barrier excludes most treatments delivered through the bloodstream, while viral vectors that do enter the central nervous system often lack the precision needed to selectively target disease-relevant cell populations.