(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Neuroinflammation is linked to a host of detrimental brain disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. A collaborative research team from Houston Methodist and Rice University has developed a way to fight back with a tiny, bioengineered system to deliver anti-inflammatory proteins to specific targets in the brain.

The study, recently published in Biomaterials, was led by Robert Krencik, an associate professor in the Center for Neuroregeneration and Department of Neurosurgery at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. The paper reveals the creation of AstroCapsules, a revolutionary union of bioengineering and neuroscience that encloses human astrocytes (star-shaped, resident brain cells that are crucial to healthy function of the central nervous system) within small biocompatible hydrogel capsules.

The researchers found that when astrocytes within the capsules were armed with a secreted anti-inflammatory protein (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist or IL-1Ra), they could significantly reduce neuroinflammation (measured through inflammatory biomarkers).

"This system solves several current problems with cell-based therapeutics to the nervous system," Krencik said. "Because the capsules will form a physical barrier between the implanted astrocytes and brain tissue, cells are expected to locally secrete anti-inflammatory proteins while avoiding immune rejection and unwanted migration throughout the brain. This will increase the stability of the treatment while reducing side effects."

Neuroinflammation Alzheimer Houston Methodist brain disorders

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