New Method Delivers Drug to the Brain

Deliver complex drug into the the CNS is a challenge, the CNS is strongly protected by the BBB, and many substances with therapeutic high potential, frataxin, or even gene therapy, are not useful if they can not reach their therapeutic targets. It is very important to have methods to achieve this goal.

New Method Delivers Alzheimer’s Drug to the Brain
ScienceDaily (Apr. 5, 2011) — Oxford University scientists have developed a new method for delivering complex drugs directly to the brain, a necessary step for treating diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Motor Neuron Disease and Muscular Dystrophy. read more...

Original paper: Delivery of siRNA to the mouse brain by systemic injection of targeted exosomes., Nature Biotechnology, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1807
Lydia Alvarez-Erviti, Yiqi Seow, HaiFang Yin, Corinne Betts, Samira Lakhal & Matthew J A Wood.
Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Mitochondria regulate autophagy by conserved signalling pathways

The EMBO Journal advance online publication 5 April 2011; doi:10.1038/emboj.2011.104

Martin Graef and Jodi Nunnari,
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Davis University of California, USA

Keywords: autophagy regulation, mitochondria, protein kinase A, TOR, cellular homeostasis, mitochondrial respiratory deficiency, autophagy gene induction, neurodegeneration.