Making a 'Beeline' Past the Blood-Brain Barrier for Drug Delivery
Sunday, April 2, 2017 - 05:41
in Biology & Nature
Most medicines can't get through the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a highly selective membrane that separates the circulatory system from the fluid bathing the brain. Certain peptides in animal venoms, however, can navigate across it to inflict damage. Now, researchers are capitalizing on venomous sneak attacks by developing a strategy based on a bee-venom peptide, apamin, to deliver medications to the brain.