The Future of CNS Therapeutics: Non-Invasive, High-Precision Nose-to-Brain Delivery Platforms
A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Targeting and Design".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 355
Special Issue Editors
Interests: pharmaceutical science; drug delivery; sustained and controlled release; biomaterials; targeted delivery; medical diagnostics
Interests: medicine development; targeted therapy; drug repurposing; proximity induced therapeutic development; CNS drug discovery; adult and paediatric brain cancers including high grade gliomas; synthetic chem
Interests: ultrasmall nanoparticle; blood–brain barrier; drug delivery; targeted therapeutics for aggressive brain cancers; glioblastoma treatment strategies; nanomedicine-based anticancer drug delivery
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Neurological pathologies, ranging from malignant tumors to neurodegenerative diseases, represent a global health crisis, largely due to the blood–brain barrier and non-specific nature of current drugs. This physiological barrier effectively blocks over 98% of small-molecule drugs and almost all large-molecule biologics, rendering conventional systemic therapies largely ineffective. To circumvent these limitations, the Nose-to-Brain delivery route has emerged as a transformative, non-invasive gateway. By leveraging the unique anatomical architecture of the olfactory and trigeminal nerve pathways, therapeutic agents can bypass the blood–brain barrier to achieve direct central nervous system access.
This Special Issue aims to showcase recent cutting-edge advancements in functionalized novel drug delivery strategies, designed to shift the therapeutic paradigm from systemic administration to high-precision, localized central nervous system targeting. By engineering targeted novel delivery systems, drug residence time and permeability across the nasal mucosa could be significantly enhanced. This platform holds the potential to revolutionize treatment for a vast array of high-burden central nervous system conditions, including neurooncology, neurodegeneration and emergency neurology.
This Special Issue will provide readers with an overview of the novel approaches being investigated to enhance Nose-to-Brain delivery, further enhancing their understanding of the mechanisms facilitating the transport of drugs and nanocarrier systems at the tissue and cellular level.
By advancing our mechanistic understanding of this route, we are not merely addressing individual diseases; we are unlocking a universal delivery system that secures better clinical outcomes and global healthcare equity.
Dr. Manisha Sharma
Dr. Jiney Jose
Dr. Taskeen Janjua
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- nose-to-brain delivery
- intranasal drug delivery
- blood–brain barrier
- central nervous system
- targeting nanocarrier systems
- targeted delivery platforms
- nasal mucosa permeability
- neuro-oncology
- brain tumors
- neurodegenerative diseases
- drug transport mechanisms
- tissue-level transport
- cellular-level transport
- non-invasive drug delivery
- precision medicine
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