More Efficient Drug Delivery Within The Brain By Utilising Lat1

By utilising the new LAT1-prodrug approach, it is possible to achieve drug concentrations relevant for the pharmacological effects in the diseased brain, which has been one of the major challenges to overcome in the CNS-drug development

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According to a new study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland, the distribution of drug molecules within the brain can be improved by utilizing LAT1, which is expressed highly in the brain. By converting drug molecules temporarily into prodrugs, derivatives that can utilize LAT1 for cell entry and subsequently release the active parent drug within the target cells. This way one can achieve many times higher concentrations compared to the treatment with the parent drugs alone, which cannot utilize LAT1. This is very important, particularly in a situation where the final target protein is located inside the cells. This study was published in Scientific Reports at the beginning of September.