Smart nanomaterials to detect and treat traumatic brain injuries
Pusan National University, Republic of Korea, is exploring theranostic nanomaterials that can both diagnose and treat brain injury.
Researchers are exploring the potential of these tiny, engineered particles, while addressing the limitations of traditional biosensing and therapy strategies.
Early diagnosis and effective treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain challenging, despite decades of research.
When the brain suffers a sudden impact, it triggers inflammation, oxidative stress, and nerve damage can continue long after the initial trauma.
The study in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology highlights cutting-edge designs that can deliver drugs precisely where damage occurs, while simultaneously monitoring biological changes inside the brain.
Theranostic nanomaterials work by combining two traditionally separate goals.
Firstly, they can transport neuroprotective or anti-inflammatory drugs through the brain’s natural defences and. secondly, they act as sensors, revealing how tissue responds to treatment in real time.
These materials can be tuned to react to biological cues, such as acidity, oxidative stress, or enzyme activity, signals that are abundant in injured brain tissue.
The review illuminates various nanotherapeutic approaches, including PEGylated-polystyrene nanoparticles, porous silicon nanoparticles, carbon dot nanoparticles, dendrimer nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), and siRNA-based nanoparticles, all of which have demonstrated enhanced neuroprotection and targeted drug delivery in TBIs.
LNPs can target damaged tissue and release neuroprotective molecules with efficacy, and carbon-dot nanozymes act like artificial enzymes to neutralise harmful reactive molecules.
In addition, nanosensors such as peptide-based, ECM-targeted, polymeric and fibrinogen-based, and biomarker-responsive can aid in real-time diagnosis and monitoring of TBI progression.
Researchers believe these advances could revolutionise neurotrauma care, allowing doctors to diagnose TBI faster, deliver treatments more safely and monitor recovery continuously.
