Alzheimer's
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death for those age 65 and older in the United States. Florida has the second-highest incidence of Alzheimer’s, with nearly 600,000 cases. FIU Medicine researchers are studying potential treatments and developing drugs and delivery systems to fight Alzheimer’s.
LiFu Clinical Trial
This Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and Baptist Health collaboration is one of 25 clinical trials nationwide using low-intensity focused ultrasound (LiFu) to target the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.
The buildup of beta-amyloid protein plaques is linked to AD. Magnetic resonance imaging is used to precisely guide ultrasound waves to target parts of the brain and temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, disrupting plaques.
FIU’s Dr. Patricia Junquera, chair of psychiatry and behavioral health, and Dr. Michael McDermott, chief of the neuroscience division and chief medical executive of Baptist’s Miami Neuroscience Institute, are co-PIs. The FDA-approved clinical trial, currently enrolling patients, is part of Florida’s Brain State initiative.
Oral Drug Candidate
Sticky beta amyloid plaques on the brain can cause brain cells to die affecting memory and cognition.
Researcher Kyung Bo Kim’s lab developed a potential new drug named AR-01 that promises to improve cognitive function regardless of amyloid buildup. Given orally, AR-01 could offer a more affordable treatment option for early symptomatic Alzheimer’s patients and could also be used with existing drugs to improve efficacy.
HIV
The brain is an ideal hiding place for the human immunodeficiency virus, where it can lie dormant for years in a latent HIV reservoir. But, at any time, cells in these latent reservoirs can become active again and start making more virus. The blood–brain barrier prevents easy access to antiretroviral drugs and remains a major hurdle toward eliminating or permanently silencing the virus. FIU Medicine researchers are using nanotechnology for drug delivery to HIV-infected reservoirs and studying ways to mitigate the inflammation and neurodegeneration caused by HIV in the brain.
CBD Therapy
FIU researchers under the direction of Madhavan Nair, distinguished university professor, found CBD’s anti-inflammatory effects can essentially keep HIV-infected cells in the brain under control, preventing them from acting up.
This is important because neuroinflammation associated with HIV creates a dangerous domino effect: inflammation causes infected cells hiding in the brain to activate, start the replication process and spread the virus back into the body. As published in Scientific Reports, the team showed CBD works at the molecular level to lower inflammation and keep these cells dormant.
Nanocarrier Gel
Investigators in the same lab have developed a pioneering nanogel that could revolutionize treatment for various diseases. It has demonstrated the ability to cross the protective barrier surrounding the brain, potentially enabling targeted drug delivery to HIV reservoirs. The polymer-based compound, which includes linseed oil, also has fluorescent properties, which could facilitate tracking the nanogel in medical imaging procedures.
Intranasal Drug Delivery
The neurological complications of AIDS, known as NeuroAIDS, include a condition called HIV-associated dementia (HAD). Virologist Nazira El-Hage is developing nanoparticles that carry and deliver special RNA sequences that can silence HIV genes, potentially reducing AIDS-related brain complications. These particles are coated in a sugar called mannose and delivered intranasally. Mannose helps the particles target specific brain cells where the virus hides. ElHage’s team also uses tiny cell bubbles called extracellular vesicles (EVs) to transport and deliver drugs. EVs can be loaded with cargo such as brain growth factors, proteins, and genetic material and delivered to the brain. The goal is to decrease brain inflammation linked to HIV and reduce the brain damage associated with NeuroAIDS and HAD.