current drugs cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, the ability of nanoparticles to deliver antiretroviral drugs to the brain is a significant breakthrough that could potentially improve the treatment of brain cancers and other diseases.”
Dr. Dhar has been researching polymer chain nanoparticles as a vehicle for intracellular medication delivery for over a decade. Her most recent research was recently published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano. Bapurao Surnar, Ph.D.; Anuj S. Shah; Minseon Park, Ph.D.; Akil A. Kalathil; Mohammad Z. Kamra, Ph.D.; and Michal Toborek, M.D., Ph.D. are Miller School co-authors. Nagesh Kolishetti, Ph.D., the corresponding author; his student, Royden Ramirez Jaime; and Madhavan Nair, Ph.D. were all part of the research team. All of whom were from Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
Drs. Dhar and Kolishetti said, “Using an experimental model, we were able to use biodegradable brain-targeted polymeric nanoparticles to reduce the HIV/AIDS viral burden. We also included antioxidant and anti-inflammatory neuroprotectants to address stress and inflammation in the brain cells.”
According to Dr. Dhar, nanoparticle medication offers a new technique in the treatment of HIV-related neurocognitive diseases like HIV dementia, which can be enhanced by using recreational drugs in HIV-positive people. She expressed hopes saying, “Looking ahead, this therapeutic strategy, which we have demonstrated in our laboratory, has great potential for improving treatment of a wide range of brain diseases.”
