{
  "id": 1703223,
  "title": "Smart delivery systems could make noninvasive nasal routes to the brain possible",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/smart-delivery-systems-could-make-noninvasive-nasal-routes-to-the",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-18T12:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-smart-delivery-noninvasive-nasal-routes.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This article explores the potential of smart delivery systems to bypass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and deliver drugs directly to the brain via noninvasive nasal routes. The BBB, which protects the brain from harmful substances, is a major challenge in drug delivery to the central nervous system. However, the nose provides a promising alternative route for drug delivery.\n\nThe olfactory pathway, which allows sensory nerves to carry smell-related information to the brain, is highly efficient in rodents. However, in humans, this pathway only covers 3%–10% of the nasal cavity. Even when a drug enters the nose, mucus and enzymes in the nasal cavity quickly clear or break down the drug, leaving limited time for absorption.\n\nResearchers have identified three strategies to improve drug retention and targeting in the nasal cavity. Nanoparticles can coat drugs with a protective layer, allowing them to cling to mucus and reach smell-related tissue. Extracellular vesicles, which are tiny biological bubbles released by cells, can carry targeting signals that help them interact with damaged or inflamed brain tissue. Living systems, such as genetically engineered cells, viruses, and bacteria, can sense local conditions and produce drugs precisely where and when they are needed.\n\nSmart delivery systems using these approaches have shown promising results in laboratory rodents. Coating nanoparticles with chitosan, a natural polysaccharide found in crustacean shells, can keep drugs in the nasal lining for two to four times longer than normal. Liposomal encapsulation, which packages drugs inside tiny fat-like bubbles, also improves brain targeting and delivers more drug to the brain. Additionally, extracellular vesicles harvested from neural stem cells can rapidly spread through the brain and reach nearly every region within 45 minutes of nasal delivery.\n\nThe review also highlights the potential of immune cell bubbles, which can travel directly to inflamed areas of the brain. This may help target neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, which are often associated with neuroinflammation. Tailored living cells, such as stem cells, have been shown to move along nasal nerve pathways directly into the brain, reaching damaged tissue within just 1.5 hours in stroke models.\n\nWhile these advancements offer exciting possibilities for treating brain diseases, clinical translation remains a significant challenge. Consistent delivery, precise targeting within the brain, long-term safety, and scalable manufacturing are all critical factors that need to be addressed before these therapies can reach the clinic.",
  "summary": "A protective layer that is extremely picky about not letting harmful substances in can sometimes also keep useful things from entering the very space it is meant to protect. The body's blood-brain barrier (BBB) is one such case. Designed to keep harmful toxins and pathogens in the bloodstream from making their way into the brain while still allowing essential nutrients to pass through, the BBB…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}