Researchers at the Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP) are developing innovative nanomedicine approaches to improve how medicines reach the brain and support the treatment of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

The team is engineering liposomes and other lipid-based nanoparticles to enhance the delivery of existing medicines to neuronal cells. One approach uses specially designed liposomes to improve the uptake of galantamine, an established treatment for Alzheimer’s symptoms. Researchers are also exploring the combination of galantamine with lactoferrin, which may help address iron accumulation, oxidative stress, and cellular damage associated with the disease.

For Parkinson’s disease, WADDP researchers are investigating nano-enabled drug-delivery systems for levodopa that could improve absorption and provide more sustained release. Similar nanomedicine approaches are being explored for neurological conditions such as stroke and other neurovascular disorders.

Beyond drug delivery, the researchers are developing 3D biomimetic scaffolds designed to recreate aspects of the natural cellular environment and support neural tissue repair and regeneration. These technologies could potentially be customised using medical imaging and 3D printing for specific sites of nerve damage.

Together, these efforts highlight a growing focus on precision drug delivery, nanomedicine, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine as potential strategies for improving neurological health and addressing age-related neurodegenerative diseases. While much of the work remains in the research and development stage, it could contribute to future therapies designed to deliver medicines more precisely and support the repair of damaged neural tissue.

Source: https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/research-news/2026/2026-10/tiny-technologies-advance-neurotherapeutics.html