title: Cell delivery to the central nervous system.
abstract: A dysfunctional central nervous system (CNS) resulting from neurological disorders and diseases impacts all of humanity. The outcome presents a staggering health care issue with a tremendous potential for developing interventive therapies. The delivery of therapeutic molecules to the CNS has been hampered by the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). To circumvent this barrier, putative therapeutic molecules have been delivered to the CNS by such methods as pumps/osmotic pumps, osmotic opening of the BBB, sustained polymer release systems and cell delivery via site-specific transplantation of cells. This review presents an overview of some of the CNS delivery technologies with special emphasis on transplantation of cells with and without the use of polymer encapsulation technology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, M55 3E5, Ontario, Canada. molly@ecf.utoronto.ca
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shoichet
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Winn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D002470:Cell Survival; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D007260:Infusion Pumps; D008845:Microinjections; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000628:therapy