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Companies unite to cross brain barrier

11 Jun 2009

Clinical Research

Two pharmaceutical companies are collaborating in order to look at ways in which drugs can be delivered across the blood-brain barrier, in a move which could revolutionise treatments for hundreds of diseases.

Scientists at Roche and Raptor Pharmaceuticals will work together to try and better understand how they can deliver drugs through the blood-brain barrier, which is a part of the brain that restricts chemicals passing from the bloodstream to neural tissue.

Todd Zankel, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Raptor, said: "We are excited to be collaborating with Roche, a world leader in pharmaceutical research."

He added that combining Raptor's knowledge of the blood-brain barrier and the vast resources at Roche's disposal should help the collaboration make significant inroads into improving understanding of the difficult brain area.

The blood-brain barrier is an obstacle in treating many neurological disorders including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, which scientists have developed potential drugs for but cannot cross the barrier in order to administer them effectively.

Roche has recently started trials which focus on a new diabetes drug that the company is hoping will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disorders in patients who suffer from the condition.


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