Images show P-gp expression intensity before and after sonication. (image: DGMIF)
DAEJEON, Sept. 29 (Korea Bizwire) – Scientists from the DGMIF (Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation) have successfully increased the effects of brain disease treatment by using ultrasound to stimulate the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
According to the team, the BBB regulates drugs or metabolites flowing into the central nervous system (CNS), thus reducing the effects of therapeutic drugs for brain and CNS-related diseases.
However, the team successfully used focused ultrasound (FUS) to make the barrier temporarily permeable without scarring nearby tissue, enabling localized drug delivery, thus increasing the drug’s effects.
It was revealed in the experiment that ultrasonic stimulation reduced the level of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the BBB. The P-gp is the most dominant multi-drug resistant protein found in the BBB that spreads with brain diseases across not only blood vessels but also cancer cells.
“Our method is a non-surgical procedure that allows localized treatment, and we expect it to be applied in various treatments for brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and brain cancer,” said Dr. Park Ju-young, who participated in the research.
The team’s research was funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea, and its full findings were published in the August 11 online edition of Scientific Reports.
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
