For the past decade, Dr. Dhar has been studying a polymer chain nanoparticle as a vehicle for intracellular drug delivery. Her latest laboratory study, “Brain-Accumulating Nanoparticles for Assisting Astrocytes to Reduce Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Drug Abuse-Induced Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Stress,” was published recently in the American Chemical Society journal, ACS Nano.
‘Nanoparticle drug delivery offers a new strategy for treating HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, such as HIV dementia, which can be magnified by recreational drug use in HIV-positive individuals.’
Miller School co-authors were Bapurao Surnar, Ph.D; Anuj S. Shah; Minseon Park, Ph.D; Akil A. Kalathil; Mohammad Z. Kamra, Ph.D.; and Michal Toborek, M.D., Ph.D. The research team included Nagesh Kolishetti, Ph.D., as a corresponding author; his student, Royden Ramirez Jaime; and Madhavan Nair, Ph.D.; all from the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University.
Drs. Dhar and Kolishetti said, “Using an experimental model, we were able to use biodegradable brain-targeted polymeric nanoparticles to reduce the HIV/AIDS viral burden. We also included antioxidant and anti-inflammatory neuroprotectants to address stress and inflammation in the brain cells.”
She added, “Looking ahead, this therapeutic strategy, which we have demonstrated in our laboratory, has great potential for improving treatment of a wide range of brain diseases.”
Source: Newswise
