Nanomedicines for delivery across the blood-brain barrier

Central nervous system (CNS) disorders affect one in three worldwide and represent a large unmet medical need involving chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, stroke, brain tumours, migraine, pain, and mental diseases. CNS drug development is hampered by the restricted drug and biological transport across an anatomical barrier, the blood-brain barrier. Many brain tumours and neurological diseases can greatly benefit from the use of emerging nanotechnologies based on targeted nanomedicines that are able to noninvasively transport highly potent and specific pharmaceuticals across the blood–brain barrier. In this chapter, we will discuss blood-to-brain drug delivery strategies using nanocarriers such as polymeric and lipid-based strategies with a focus on the mechanism of permeation, pharmaceutical, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic and regulatory and clinical aspects of their development. Although it remains unrealistic to expect a magic bullet for brain central nervous system delivery, nanomedicines are the only technologies to date to have shown considerable promise for these patients with chronic and devastating brain diseases.