Crean compuestos que pasan la barrera hematoencefalica

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-10/slu-arr102505.php

Alcoholism research reveals promising new approach to treating Alzheimer's
disease

ST. LOUIS -- Saint Louis University research shows a new class of drugs may
hold promise in treating brain chemical problems such as Alzheimer's
disease, says the principal investigator of research published in an early
on-line version of Peptides.

"We found that we can develop antisense ­ which is a molecular compound ­
to cross the blood brain barrier enough to alter brain function. This can
have a profound effect on treating diseases that occur because there is too
much or too little of a certain kind of protein in the brain," says William
A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatrics and pharmacological and
physiological sciences at Saint Louis University and principal investigator.

"The blood brain barrier is the Holy Grail ­ it's the most difficult tissue
to pass through."  The article will run in the April print issue of Peptides.

Antisense molecules are very specific compounds that scientists can create
to plug into genetic pathways and block certain genes from producing
harmful proteins.

Many scientists believe that overproduction of the amyloid beta protein in
the brain causes Alzheimer's disease. Previous Saint Louis University
research has found that scientists can develop antisense to cross the blood
brain barrier and lower levels of amyloid beta protein in mice.