Remarkable finding of anti HIV drug delivery to the brain by Exosome

The body has a remarkable ability to keep external 0bjects out of the brain, such as poisons or other infections. This is achieved through a variety of ways, including the metabolization of foreign substances in the bloodstream before they reach the brain. 

A physical barrier formed of blood arteries with particular features that regulate the transfer of nutrients, cells, and molecules between the blood and the brain is another important method the body protects the brain. The blood-brain barrier is important for protecting the brain, but it can also prevent life-saving medications from reaching the brain. 

City of Hope researchers recently developed a new drug delivery system that can easily bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver an anti-HIV drug directly to the brain.

Researchers engineered nanosized exosomes to deliver their anti-HIV drug in a study published last week in the journal Nature Communications. Exosomes are tiny vesicles that are routinely released by cells for various purposes, including cell-to-cell communication.

 The researchers used an anti-HIV protein drug called ZPAMt HIV protein repressor to package the engineered exosomes in the study. They discovered that 10 weeks after administering the ZPAMt exosomes to the mice, HIV was significantly suppressed in all tissues, including the brain. Furthermore, due to the drug's design, it was able to limit HIV's capacity to multiply and lock it in a latent condition, a method known as "block and lock."

This research is significant because it demonstrates that modified exosomes can successfully pass the blood-brain barrier and deliver a therapeutic payload to the brain.

Furthermore, because the ZPAMt medication was demonstrated to successfully block and trap HIV in brain tissue, this finding is essential for HIV treatment research. “This is the first time that block and lock has been successfully given to treat HIV in vivo in the brain,” said Kevin Morris, PhD, a senior author on the study.

 In the United States, over 1.2 million people are infected with HIV, and there is presently no cure. This finding, on the other hand, paves the path for a more effective new medication to reduce the disease's burden.