Antibody Approaches To Treat Brain Diseases

Recombinant antibodies are an emerging class of therapeutics with substantial promise to treat central nervous system (CNS) diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke, and brain cancers. However, poor blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability hinders the progress of antibody therapies for conditions in which the target is located in the brain. Nonetheless, antibodies can nowadays be engineered to enhance their therapeutic applications and translocation of the BBB using the natural portals of the brain. This paper reviews advances in the development and engineering of therapeutic BBB-crossing antibodies and their high potential for treatment of CNS disorders.

TrendsAntibodies have proven utility as therapeutics, being highly selective and effective drugs to treat many diseases.Development of antibodies to treat CNS diseases is limited by the BBB.Several therapeutic antibodies for neurological diseases have failed to show significant clinical benefits.Re-engineering can be used to customize antibodies to both recognize endogenous transport systems at the BBB and act as drugs in the brain.