9^th World Drug Delivery Summit

Biography

Biography: Reinhard Gabathuler

Abstract

The central nervous system (CNS) is a sanctuary protected by barriers among them the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB is formed by the specific nature of the endothelial cells of the brain capillaries only allowing brain access to nutrients necessary for brain cell survival and function. These properties of the BBB result in the incapacity of therapeutic compounds small and large to reach the brain at therapeutic concentrations. Various strategies are now being developed to enhance the amount and concentration of these compounds in the brain parenchyma. The development of new technologies such as peptide vectors will achieve the delivery of active agents in therapeutic concentration across the BBB to treat brain diseases such as cancer or neurodegenerative disorders. BiOasis Technologies Inc is dedicated to the development of new platform technologies for the delivery of therapeutics in the brain. The use and development of new active proteins or peptides for drug brain delivery using physiological approaches will be presented. BiOasis Technologies is developing a new vector, Transcend or also known as melanotransferrin (MTf) and its second generation vector MTfpep for the delivery of biologics across the BBB. The application of the MTfpep vector for the delivery of lysosomal enzyme, antibodies and nucleic acids such as siRNA will be presented. We have demonstrated that the MTfpep vector associated to antibodies and to siRNA can deliver a therapeutic concentration of active compounds in the CNS. These studies demonstrate that Transcend can be used as a vector for the transport of biologics across the BBB and capable of shuttling therapeutic levels of a variety of compounds from small anti-cancer agent to larger biologics such as antibodies and nucleic acids across the BBB for the treatment of neurological disorders.