Brain-Invading Parasite Could Be Hacked to Deliver Meds in Your Head
Researchers at MIT have shown that the parasite Toxoplasma gondii can effectively deliver therapeutic proteins for neurological conditions, demonstrating potential for treating disorders like Rett syndrome with minimal side effects.
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Researchers have explored the potential of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii as a delivery system for therapeutic proteins to treat neurological conditions. This parasite can cross the blood-brain barrier, which typically restricts the entry of large and hydrophilic molecules, making it a promising candidate for delivering treatments that are otherwise difficult to access. The study, led by neuroscientist Shahar Bracha at MIT, demonstrated that engineered T. gondii could effectively deliver proteins like MeCP2, which is used to treat Rett syndrome, in lab-grown human brain tissues and living mice with minimal side effects.
The researchers modified two organelles in T. gondii to enable it to secrete therapeutic proteins. In experiments, the engineered parasites successfully delivered MeCP2 to human brain organoids, altering gene expression compared to controls. When tested in mice, the modified T. gondii were as effective at infecting hosts as their non-edited counterparts while also delivering the therapeutic protein and causing minimal inflammation.
Given that a significant portion of the global population is asymptomatically infected with T. gondii, the findings suggest a dual benefit: utilizing a common parasite for therapeutic purposes while also providing a new research tool for studying protein activity in neurons. The study highlights T. gondii's potential not only for treating neurological disorders but also for advancing research methodologies in neuroscience. The research was published in Nature Microbiology.
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