Aptar Pharma and Massachusetts General Hospital build predictive nose-to-brain delivery platform
- Aptar Pharma and the Stanton Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital will develop an integrated translational research platform combining in vitro, in vivo and computational methods to study nose-to-brain transport.
- The project aims to produce a New Approach Methodology (NAM) to screen compounds for nose-to-brain delivery and inform formulation and device decisions, consistent with FDA support for NAMs.
- Aptar will apply its nasal delivery systems, including Cerespray™ and Neurospray™, and leverage around 30 years of related field data to target the upper nasal cavity.
- The study will profile broad molecular classes and physicochemical properties to identify which molecules are suited for nose-to-brain delivery and improve translation from preclinical models to humans.
Collaboration scope
Aptar Pharma and the Stanton Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, led by Alice Stanton, PhD, signed an agreement to advance nose-to-brain (N2B) drug delivery science by building an integrated translational research platform.
Objectives and methods
The platform will combine in vitro, in vivo and computational technologies to quantitatively characterize mechanisms, pathways and kinetics of N2B transport across a broad range of molecular classes and physicochemical properties, with the aim of producing a New Approach Methodology (NAM) to screen compounds for N2B delivery.
Aptar contributions
Aptar will incorporate its nasal delivery systems, including Cerespray™ and Neurospray™, and draw on approximately 30 years of related field data to support precise deposition in upper nasal regions associated with nose-to-brain transport and to inform device and formulation design.
Scientific context
While prior studies have shown direct N2B transport can occur, key questions remain about which molecules and properties drive transport and how preclinical results predict human outcomes; the Stanton Lab brings tools spanning neurogenetics, omics, nanotechnology, machine learning, microfluidics, microphysiological systems, biomaterials and organoid approaches to address these gaps.
Source: Aptar