New approaches for facilitating transcytosis of biologically active molecules

National Center For Advancing Translational Sciences

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

During this period, the collaborative team developed methods to produce lipidic vesicles mimicking the composition of exosomes. These vesicles were used to encapsulate small fluorescent molecules, and incorporation of functionalized phospholipids within these vesicles enabled the use of click chemistry. This approach will allow the attachment of ligands able to promote transcytosis across the blood-brain barrier. The team has validated chemical methods to trim and modify the glycan of the Fc domain of antibodies to facilitate click chemistry, with the aim of clicking these antibodies to lipidic vesicles. In addition, the team is developing several nanobodies targeting receptors previously described to be involved in brain transcytosis. These nanobodies can be chemically modified with a sortase reaction to introduce different cargos to be delivered across the BBB.