Advances and perspectives for Central Nervous System drug delivery: the interface between nanotechnology and neuroscience

EditorialAdvances and perspectives for Central Nervous System drug delivery: the interface between nanotechnology and neuroscience A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) recently highlighted that Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders (brain injuries, neuroinfections, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, stroke, Alzheimer and Parkinson disease) are affecting more than one billion people worldwide (WHO, 2006). The majority of these diseases are almost untreatable or featured by poor prognosis, since only 2% of the overall drugs are able to enter the brain as the blood-brain barrier (BBB) restricts the diffusion of substances from blood to the brain (Pardridge, 2002). In recent years, the use of nanotechnology has been considered a valuable strategy in order to achieve the drug delivery to the brain (Pardridge, 2003; Kabanov, 2004; Gabathuler, 2010). Nanomedicine-based approach has deserved considerable results as some medicinal products have reached the phases I and II and some imaging nano-devices obtained the marketing authorization (Tosi et al., 2008). Thus, the research in this field of science has been featured by an increasing number of experimental strategies, in order to maximize and optimize the therapeutic protocols. This issue of Journal of Nanoneuroscience could be divided into two main chapter: one is dealing with the different kinds of approaches for BBB crossing and CNS targeting as nanomedicine-based strategies, nasal route for BBB crossing and gene delivery by carbon nanotubes. The other theme could be summarized as potential treatments and imaging of brain diseases, as glioma treatment by means of nanotech-based delivery of taxanes, quantum dots for imaging and gold nanoparticles with antioxidative effect