Nanotechnology Approaches in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Long-lasting neuronal degeneration, which leads to severe motor and cognitive deficits, is a characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). They pose major social, demographic, and public health problems due to their increased prevalence with demographic transition. For many neurological diseases, the diagnosis and therapy of which remain challenging to date, nanotechnology has emerged as an innovative strategy in the past years. This review presents and discusses in detail different approaches in which nanotechnology is currently employed for neurodegenerative disease therapy, including site-specific drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and early diagnostics utilizing nano-scaled biosensors or imaging tools. Engineered nanocarriers, such as liposomes, dendrimers, gold nanoparticles, and solid lipid nanoparticles, have been encouragingly reported in the delivery of neuroprotective agents, gene editing agents, and drugs. Even recent research studies are starting to confirm these approaches with the potential to arrest or alter the course of the disease. The merging of diagnosis and therapy of nanotechnology (nanotheranostics) provides opportunities for personalized diagnosis and treatment with real-time monitoring, and the development of biocompatible materials helps to overcome safety challenges. Concerted progress in nanomedicine, artificial intelligence, and regulatory science is accelerating the translation of such breakthroughs to the clinic. Precision medicine approaches, interdisciplinary collaboration, and fusion with neurotechnology constitute the future of neuromedicine.