Achievement

Novel plasmid DNA delivery vector to cross Blood Brain Barrier (BBB): Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that destroys part of the dopamine neurons in the brain. It has been shown both in vitro and in vivo, that glial cell‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) can promote survival and proliferation of dopamine neurons. However, delivery to the affected areas in the brain has been a challenge. IGERT trainee Brendan Harmon has developed a novel nanoparticle-based vector that can deliver an expression plasmid for GDNF (pGDNF). The uniqueness of this project is that it uses intranasal delivery to the brain to circumvent the blood‐brain barrier (BBB), allowing larger sized vectors into the central nervous system while avoiding peripheral distribution. The ultimate goal of this project is to provide a renewable source of GDNF within the brain without the need for surgical injections or frequent re‐dosing. The results has led to a patent application.