Researchers from the University of Glasgow, in collaboration with Tel Aviv University, along with international researchers, have revealed that brain parasites could be used to deliver drugs to the brain to treat cognitive disorders.
In the study published in Nature Microbiology, researchers explored whether the common brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii could be used to deliver treatment across the blood-brain barrier, a major complication for the treatment of many neurological conditions.
According to a study published in the Lancet Neurology in March and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, neurological conditions are considered the leading cause of ill health worldwide, with stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias, and diabetic neuropathy being the biggest global contributors.
Researchers engineered Toxoplasma gondii parasites to deliver the MeCP2 protein, a therapeutic protein that has been dubbed a promising target for Rett syndrome, a debilitating neurological disorder caused by mutations in MeCP2 gene.
Evolved to travel from the digestive system to the brain, where it secretes its proteins into neurons, the Toxoplasma gondii parasite is estimated to be carried by a third of the global population in its dormant state and has been linked to neurological conditions such as AD, Parkinson’s disease and Rett syndrome.
The team then tested and confirmed that the engineered parasites could deliver the protein to the target cell location in both the lab, in brain organoids and in mice models.
Researchers now hope to further engineer the parasites to die after delivering the MeCP2 protein to prevent them from causing harm to cells and hope that it could be used to safely deliver key therapeutic proteins that could help treat neurological diseases.
“The concept is not without challenges, considering the dangers involved with Toxoplasma infection,” said one of the leading authors of the study, professor Lilach Sheiner, University of Glasgow’s School of Infection and Immunity. “For our work to become a treatment reality, it will require many more years of careful research and development to enhance efficiency and improve safety.”

https://pharmatimes.com/news/researchers-reveal-brain-parasites-could-be-used-to-treat-cognitive-disorders/