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Scientists Create Device for Safe Delivery of Drugs to the Brain
Last reviewed: 15.07.2025
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Scientists from the University of Queensland have developed a new device that combines ultrasound and advanced imaging techniques to provide vital information needed to safely deliver drugs to the brain.
Dr Pranesh Padmanabhan, from the University of Queensland's School of Biomedical Sciences and Queensland Brain Institute, said the device allows real-time monitoring of individual cells following ultrasound treatment - a technology being actively investigated to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and deliver drugs to the brain.
The resulting insights into how treated cells respond and change could ultimately benefit the treatment of neurodegenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
“The blood-brain barrier prevents most drugs from entering the brain. The information gained from this device will help optimize ultrasound therapy protocols and establish a balance where drug penetration into the brain is effective but safe,” said Dr. Padmanabhan.
A specially designed device is intended for studying drug delivery using the sonoporation method.
Sonoporation is a promising strategy that combines ultrasound with the introduction of “microbubbles” into the bloodstream. In the process, sound waves interact with the microbubbles, causing them to vibrate and exert pressure on the blood-brain barrier, creating tiny pores on the surface of cells.
Dr Padmanabhan said the device, developed over five years, would allow researchers to identify and map changes in treated cells and observe how they respond and recover.
“This device will enable scientists to understand how ultrasound treatments work at the level of individual molecules and cells,” he said.
“It has the potential to improve the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, which require drugs to be delivered to specific areas of the brain.
The goal is to improve the rate at which drugs reach the brain, as only about 1-2% of small molecule drugs currently reach there.
The results could also help in other areas of medicine where soporation shows great potential, including cardiology and oncology.”
The study is published in the Journal of Controlled Release.