Crossing the Barrier: Innovations in Drug Delivery for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases such as such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) represent major global health challenges affecting millions worldwide. Despite extensive research, treatment efficacy remains limited primarily due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which strictly regulates molecular transport into the brain. This protective mechanism severely restricts therapeutic agent delivery, hampering efforts to combat neurodegeneration effectively. Recent technological breakthroughs in nanotechnology, exosome-based delivery systems, biopolymer implants, and AI-driven precision medicine offer promising pathways to enhance drug penetration and targeting specificity. These cutting-edge approaches aim to develop therapies that effectively slow disease progression and substantially improve patient outcomes. This Research Topic aims to explores transformative innovations in drug delivery strategies for overcoming the BBB in neurodegenerative disease treatment that address critical challenges and unlock new therapeutic possibilities for neurodegenerative diseases.

We invite contributions exploring approaches to enhancing drug bioavailability, specificity, and efficacy in targeting neurodegenerative pathologies. The objective of this issue includes but are not limited to:

Showcasing Cutting-Edge Drug Delivery Technologies: Highlighting recent advancements in nanotechnology, liposome and exosome-based systems, Gene therapy and RNA-based treatments, biopolymer scaffolds, and neuromodulation techniques that enhance targeted and sustained drug delivery to the brain.

Bridging Research-to-Clinical Application Gaps: Examining translational challenges and strategies for advancing novel delivery methods from preclinical models to clinical implementation.

Advancing Personalized and AI-Driven Therapeutic Strategies Investigating artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in optimizing drug formulations, predicting patient-specific responses, and improving treatment outcomes.

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Addressing Ethical and Regulatory Challenges: Discussing the ethical, safety, and regulatory considerations essential for responsible development and implementation of emerging drug delivery technologies.

We welcome diverse manuscript types, including original research, review articles, case studies, and perspectives. Through addressing these objectives, this Research Topicaims to catalyze meaningful progress in neurodegenerative disease therapeutics, fostering innovations that enhance patient care and quality of life.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Neurodegeneration, Alzheimer's, blood-brain barrier, drug delivery

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.