Researchers have discovered a method to accelerate the delivery of Alzheimer’s medications into the brain by temporarily breaching its protective barrier.

The initial trial involved only three patients and utilized a novel approach. However, the researchers discovered that the new technology was effective in targeting and removing the brain-clogging plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease. This finding was reported on Wednesday.

Dr. Ali Rezai, from West Virginia University’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, stated that their objective is to provide patients with an advantage by enhancing the effectiveness of certain new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, which typically require a lengthy period of time to show results.

The topic at hand is the blood-brain barrier. This is a protective layer found in blood vessels that serves to keep harmful elements, such as germs, from entering the brain through the bloodstream. However, this barrier also impedes the delivery of medication for conditions like Alzheimer’s, tumors, and other neurological diseases. As a result, higher doses of medication must be taken over longer periods of time in order for enough of it to reach its intended target within the brain.

Currently, researchers are utilizing a method known as focused ultrasound to create small openings in the protective barrier. This is achieved by injecting minuscule bubbles into the blood vessels, followed by directing sound waves to the targeted area of the brain using a specialized device. The vibrations from the sound waves cause the microbubbles to loosen the barrier, allowing for medications to pass through.

Previous smaller studies have demonstrated that the technology is able to create small holes that heal within 48 hours without any harm. Now, Rezai’s team has taken it a step further by also giving an Alzheimer’s medication during the procedure.

Some new Alzheimer’s drugs, on the market or in the pipeline, promise to modestly slow worsening of the mind-robbing disease. They’re designed to clear away a sticky protein called beta-amyloid that builds up in certain brain regions. But they require IV infusions every few weeks for at least 18 months.

“Rezai suggested attempting to remove the plaques within a shorter time frame, as his reasoning behind conducting the proof-of-concept study.”

His team gave three patients with mild Alzheimer’s monthly doses of one such drug, Aduhelm, for six months. Right after each IV, researchers aimed the focused ultrasound on a specific amyloid-clogged part of each patient’s brain, opening the blood brain-barrier so more of that day’s dose might enter that spot.

PET scans show patients’ amyloid levels before and after the six months of medication. There was about 32% greater plaque reduction in spots where the blood-brain barrier was breached compared to the same region on the brain’s opposite side, researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Eliezer Masliah from the National Institute on Aging warned that although this pilot study is sophisticated, it is not large enough to make any definite conclusions.

However, Masliah, who was not involved in the research, stated that the data is “highly intriguing and compelling.” This discovery paves the way for larger and more comprehensive studies in the future.

Rezai is preparing to initiate another minor examination of a comparable yet more established medication called Leqembi. Ultimately, extensive studies would be necessary to determine if the integration of focused ultrasound and Alzheimer’s drugs has a tangible impact on patients.

According to Masliah, it is crucial to carefully examine if quicker removal of plaque could potentially lead to a low chance but concerning occurrence of bleeding and swelling in the brain with these new medications.

Researchers are exploring the possibility of using the blood-brain barrier to deliver chemotherapy to brain tumors and to treat other diseases, in addition to Alzheimer’s.

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