A research team from the University of Chicago has introduced a new method for delivering anti-inflammatory drugs to the central nervous system. The approach is based on the use of special immune cells carrying “nanopackets” with an anti-inflammatory substance. Such a system, according to the authors, can reduce the severity of symptoms of multiple sclerosis and other chronic autoimmune diseases. The results of the work were published in Science Advances.
Multiple sclerosis is closely associated with inflammatory processes. Existing therapies involve delivering drugs to the central nervous system through the brain; however, the blood-brain barrier prevents the penetration of many drugs. A group of scientists is developing cell therapies that can reach hard-to-reach organs, including the brain. Over the past three years, scientists have focused their efforts on studying multiple sclerosis.
The cells they created to treat the disease work like “travelers” that penetrate the central nervous system, carrying with them “backpacks” of medicine. These travelers are myeloid suppressor cells—immune cells that can detect inflammation and suppress it. Nanocontainers filled with rapamycin, an anti-inflammatory drug, are attached to them. These containers enhance the action of cells, improving their ability to find affected areas and increasing the effectiveness of suppressing inflammation. Thanks to this, the cell-container complex is able to overcome the blood-brain barrier and deliver rapamycin into the nervous system.
This approach allows you to reconfigure the immune response in the central nervous system. In experiments on mice, the therapy slowed the progression of the disease and improved the motor functions of the animals.