Young Scientist Award 2007

Abstract

The blood brain barrier (BBB) proves a major obstacle for drug delivery to the CNS and with only 1% of drugs able to penetrate the BBB, effective treatment for disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is needed. Current therapy available for the treatment of PD gives rise to numerous side-effects and lack prolonged efficacy. A nano-enabled polymeric device implanted into the subarachnoid cavity of the brain may circumvent these challenges as drug is targeted to the affected areas of the brain and therefore a lower effective dose is required. The major benefit of an implantable device will be sustained release of drug which is imperative to prevent the ‘end-of-dose wearing-off’ phenomenon. The device will prove superior in that it serves to overcome the major barriers of current drug delivery systems available for the treatment of PD.