A research done by the Technion-Israeli Institute of Technology, in partnership with Bar-Ilan University, have developed a nanoscale silicon chip that ferries the neural growth factor (NGF) into the brain tissue. The Israeli team mentioned that the development might inhibit the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. The research, led by Professor Ester Segal and Ph.D. Student Michal Rosenberg, from the Technion Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering and their partners, Professor Orit Shefi and Ph.D. Student Neta Zilony-Hanin from the Bar Ilan University Faculty of Engineering was published in the journal Small.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that originates in the brain cells. The main cause of the disease is the accumulation of amyloid-beta in the brain, which damages the neurons in various parts of the brain. The damages may hinder brain functionality. The symptoms include memory loss, orientation problems, speech impairments major impairment of motor functions. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia for older adults.
Normally, administering a specific protein factor would limit the damage from the disease, but such a task is not a good fit. This is because the blood-brain barrier protects the brain from being infiltrated by harmful bacteria and other dangerous substances and, in the process, rejects drugs required to treat the disease.
The nanoscale silicon chip developed by the Israeli team is aimed to correct this problem. Doctoral student Michal Rosenberg mentioned that the team used mice to show two ways of delivering the platform into the brain that led to the desired results. The first way is through the implant, which is considered less invasive. The skull needs to be drilled, and the chip inserted into the outer layer called the dura mater. The second method is the gene gun that injects the silicon chip with protein chip particles into the brain through the nose. It bypasses the blood-brain barrier. The technology was tested on a cellular model of Alzheimer’s disease, and it rescued the nerve cells.
Segal told The Times of Israel that the nose offers a direct pass to the brain. Nanochips are made of nanoscale porous structure that can be loaded with protein. The team created a silicone structure that could hold the protein actively and release it gradually in about a month. After the drug is released, the chips are liquefied and damaged safely. Several Israel team of researchers have made several advancements towards Alzheimer’s disease. For instance, a lab professor Alon Friedman discovered that treating the BBB at an early stage can protect the brain and prevent the development of the disease. Introduced by BGN Technologies of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the novel therapy lies on the fact that a malfunctioning BBB allows neurotoxic blood products to enter the brain and cause damage that leads to neurological diseases.
