Overcoming the Blood–Brain Barrier: The Role of Nanomaterials in Treating Neurological Diseases
Open accessAbstract
Therapies directed toward the central nervous system remain difficult to translate into improved clinical outcomes. This is largely due to the blood–brain barrier (BBB), arguably the most tightly regulated interface in the human body, which routinely excludes most therapeutics. Advances in the engineering of nanomaterials and their application in biomedicine (i.e., nanomedicine) are enabling new strategies that have the potential to help improve our understanding and treatment of neurological diseases. Herein, the various mechanisms by which therapeutics can be delivered to the brain are examined and key challenges facing translation of this research from benchtop to bedside are highlighted. Following a contextual overview of the BBB anatomy and physiology in both healthy and diseased states, relevant therapeutic strategies for bypassing and crossing the BBB are discussed. The focus here is especially on nanomaterial‐based drug delivery systems and the potential of these to overcome the biological challenges imposed by the BBB. Finally, disease‐targeting strategies and clearance mechanisms are explored. The objective is to provide the diverse range of researchers active in the field (e.g., material scientists, chemists, engineers, neuroscientists, and clinicians) with an easily accessible guide to the key opportunities and challenges currently facing the nanomaterial‐mediated treatment of neurological diseases.
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The complexity of the CNS, coupled with the blood-brain barrier, poses challenges to delivering therapeutics to affected regions of the brain or spinal cord effectively.
“The complexity of the CNS, coupled with the blood-brain barrier (BBB), poses challenges to deliver therapeutics to affected regions of the brain or spinal cord effectively [23, 24].”
From Extracellular vesicles as nanotheranostic platforms for targeted neurological disorder interventions (2024) · cites this paper as [23]
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- Authors
- Furtado, D., Björnmalm, M., Ayton, S., Bush, A. I., Kempe, K., & Caruso, F.
- Affiliations
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Monash University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Bush, Ashley I.
- Kempe, Kristian
- Caruso, Frank
- Venue
- Advanced Materials
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2018-07-31
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 46
- Pages
- e1801362-e1801362
- ISSN
- 0935-9648 (ISSN-L)
- 1521-4095
- OpenAlex
- W2885518311
- Cited by
- 708
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 67 · 2025: 117 · 2024: 117 · 2023: 116 · 2022: 104 · 2021: 84 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 4.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Advanced Materials (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion)
- Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council (CE140100036)
- National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1135806, APP1109945)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Barrier Structure and Function Studies
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Drug Transport and Resistance Mechanisms
- Keywords
- blood-brain barrier, nanomaterials, nanomedicine, brain drug delivery, neurological disorders, translation to clinical practice
- MeSH terms
- Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Biological Transport, Blood-Brain Barrier, Brain, Central Nervous System, Humans, Ligands, Multiple Sclerosis, Nervous System Diseases, Parkinson Disease, Drug Design, Drug Delivery Systems, Stroke, Nanostructures, Nanomedicine, Nanoparticles, Translational Research, Biomedical, Transcytosis
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