Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre began trials analyzing researchers' experiments in opening the blood brain barrier to deliver therapeutic drugs

Orange County, CA - May 8th 2017 -  Earlier this month Canada’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre began trials analyzing researchers' experiments in opening the blood brain barrier. Sunnybrook defines the BBB as “a protective barrier that envelops the tiniest blood vessels in the brain called capillaries, preventing the passage of proteins and other potentially toxic substances from [pervading] the brain from the bloodstream. However, the BBB also prevents the entry of sufficient amounts of drug therapies thought to otherwise be effective in treating disease.” The BBB acts as a semi permeable membrane around the brain, allowing very select molecules to enter.

To open the BBB, scientists injected micro bubbles into the bloodstream through a patient’s arm IV. Smaller than red blood cells these bubbles are able to enter the circulatory system without risk of hurting the patient. Once the bubbles reach the brain, scientists use an MRI-guided low-intensity ultrasound to concentrate and target where the BBB is to be opened. The energy from the ultrasound causes the bubbles to vibrate, loosening the surrounding cells and creates a small opening. Drug therapies have not yet been administered; instead, a non-toxic colored dye has been used by the scientists to track the substance’s movement through brain pathways.