Recently the NHK News
On-line reported the following
脳に薬を運ぶ超小型カプセルを開発
10月29日 6時20分
薬を届けるのが難しいヒトの脳に薬を運ぶ超小型のカプセルを東京大学などの研究グループが開発し、将来的にアルツハイマー病などの治療法の開発に役立つ可能性があるとして注目されています。
ヒトの脳は、栄養源となるブドウ糖などを除き、血液中の物質はほとんど入らないようになっていて、アルツハイマー病などの治療ではどのようにして脳に薬を届けるのかが大きな課題になっています。
東京大学と東京医科歯科大学の研究グループは、アミノ酸を使って直径が１ミリの３万分の１ほどのごく小さなカプセルを開発しました。
このカプセルの表面をブドウ糖で覆うと、脳の血管にある特定のたんぱく質がカプセルのブドウ糖と結びついて脳の中に運ぶことができるということです。
さらにグループは、空腹の状態だとこのたんぱく質が積極的にブドウ糖を運ぶことに注目し、空腹のマウスでこのカプセルを使ってこれまでの薬の１００倍ほどの効率で脳に取り込ませることにも成功したということです。
グループでは、カプセルの中に薬となる物質を入れればこれまでにない治療効果が期待できるとしています。
東京医科歯科大学の横田隆徳教授は「認知症のほか、神経の難病や精神疾患の治療にも大きな武器になると思う」と話しています。
また東京大学の片岡一則特任教授は「将来は体中の必要な場所に薬を送り届けるナノテクノロジーを開発したい」と話しています。
My translation
A study group from the
University of Tokyo had developed an extraordinarily small capsule which could
carry medicine to the man's brain where medicine was difficult to reach, and it
was assumed that there would be a possibility that in future it might be useful
to develop some cure for the Alzheimer's disease, and for that it had attracted
attention.
It had been a big
problem as there was almost no substance in the blood that could reach human brains except for the glucose which was the source of nutrition; how to deliver
medicine to the brain for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease had become a big
issue.
A study group from the University of Tokyo together with the Tokyo Medical and Dental University,
using amino acid, developed a small
capsule that had a diameter of about 1/30,000 of 1 millimeter.
When covered this capsular
surface with glucose, some specific type of protein in the cerebral blood
vessel would combine with the capsular glucose, and it was said that delivery to the brain would then be possible.
Furthermore, the group
noticed that if in a hungry state this protein would carry glucose aggressively. It's said that there was a
successful delivery to the brain of about 100 times more efficient than the
existing medicine when this
capsule was used in a hungry mouse.
The group assumed that
when putting in some substance in the capsule which would become medicine, they
could look forward to seeing some
therapeutic effect that was so far could not be expected.
Prof. Takanori Yokota of
the Tokyo Medical and Dental University said that “I think it will be a great
weapon for the treatment of intractable diseases and psychiatric disorders of
nerves in addition to dementia.”
Also Kataoka Kazunori, the specially appointed professor of the University of Tokyo said that “In
future I'd like to develop the nanotechnology which delivers medicine to a
necessary place all over the body.”
The
invention of this capsule is good news for all mental patients.
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