Targeted Neuronal Drug Delivery for Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition affecting over 50 million people globally, marked by cognitive decline and memory loss. Its pathological presentations include the accumulation of amyloid beta protein, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. The challenges in developing effective treatments stem from the inconclusive causes of AD and the blood-brain barrier, which restricts drug delivery to the brain. Research efforts are thus focused on three main areas: bypassing the blood-brain barrier, creating effective therapeutic drugs, and managing all the possible causes. This review highlights advancements in these areas, such as the use of intranasal and targeted nanocarriers for transporting drugs to combat amyloid beta and tau tangles, and how the use of insulin-inspired neuronal targeting can be used in delivering larger therapeutic agents, such as proteins. It also describes some of the challenges still faced amidst the progress achieved so far.