Researchers from Rice University in the USA have developed a non-invasive gene therapy method for the brain. The method of “delivery” of genes to various parts of the brain using ultrasound turned out to be more effective than injections. In this respect reports EurekAlert.
Gene therapy is a set of genetic engineering and medical methods aimed at bringing changes to the genetic apparatus of human somatic cells. In this therapy, a gene is introduced into cells to compensate for DNA defects. Many diseases, such as cancer, affect large areas of the brain, making gene transfer difficult. Researchers note that genes usually spread only a few millimeters when injected into the brain with a needle. Thousands of injections would be required to collect all the cells, which would be difficult and possibly harmful.
“We use focused ultrasound to open nanoscale pores in the endothelium of the brain,” said Shirin Nurain, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Rice University who works in the laboratory of bioengineer Jerzy Sablowski. Endothelium is a layer of flat cells that lines the inside of all vessels in our body, from large vessels to small capillaries.
The new technology has already been tested on mice. The efficiency of gene transfer would increase if more areas of the brain were “treated” with ultrasound, the authors noted. It also turned out that the method was safe even when affecting 105 regions of the rodents’ brain simultaneously; The researchers did not detect neuron loss.
Biologists before clarified Ancient origin of neurons.