Vivolta, Neurochase team on blood-brain barrier drug delivery system
Micro-catheters would let drugs reach the brain, aiding Parkinson's outcomes
Vivolta and Neurochase have partnered to manufacture specialized micro-catheters using the former’s medical electrospinning (MediSpin) technology to deliver therapies directly to specific brain regions for neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease.
The technology would enhance Neurochase’s Convection Enhanced Delivery (CED) system, which is designed to allow drugs to effectively reach the brain. This could serve to improve treatment outcomes for patients with Parkinson’s and other central nervous system disorders.
“This partnership … is a great example of our full suite of … solutions from product development to commercial manufacturing,” Denis Leissing, Vivolta’s CEO, said in a press release. “We’re proud that our team’s expertise along with our unique and scalable MediSpin manufacturing system will help bring this high-performance micro-catheter to patients who will benefit.”
Parkinson’s is caused by the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells, or neurons, in a brain region called the substantia nigra. This leads to a deficit of dopamine, a molecule essential for neuron communication, particularly in the striatum, a brain region involved in controlling voluntary movements.
Various therapeutic strategies, including gene or immune therapies, are often limited because they can’t cross the blood-brain barrier, a semipermeable membrane that protects the brain and spinal cord from the external environment. Being able to penetrate this barrier may lead to new therapies for Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
A drug delivery system to the brain
The companies started their partnership in 2022 to develop the electrospun component of Neurochase’s micro-catheter delivery system. MediSpin’s platform allows for the production of very small fibers, typically in the nanometer/micrometer scale, for use in implantable medical products due to their capacity to mimic a tissue’s architecture.
“The Vivolta relationship has been hugely important in finding a solution to one of the most technically challenging components of the Neurochase delivery system,” said Sharon Kane, CEO of Neurochase. “We are excited to be taking our transformative product forward together into large-scale manufacture with such a knowledgeable, skilled, and motivated team.”
Neurochase’s delivery system is designed for safe and accurate direct drug delivery, including gene therapies and immunotherapies, to the brain. The system has several advantages, including a short and simple surgical insertion and fixation of catheters, being able to deliver personalized treatment doses, and accurately targeting and dosing of deep brain structures.
The system also provides a simplified procedure for scalable delivery that can be performed in patients while they are awake, which aids neurological evaluations during infusions, while avoiding risks from more invasive procedures.
CEDs are being used in clinical trials to treat neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease, brain tumors, and frontotemporal dementia. Neurochase plans to enter clinical trials using its micro-catheter delivery system in 2025.
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