Engineered nasal bacteria slide drugs into the brain

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is often an obstacle for the effective delivery of therapeutics to the brain. Intranasal delivery through the olfactory epithelium (OE) can bypass the BBB but some limitations still exist when it comes to the high dose needed and the limited area of the nose. Now, Shen et al. have developed a system to improve intranasal delivery by harnessing the commensal bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp). In mouse models of obesity, intranasal administration of Lp engineered to secrete appetite-regulating hormones reduced body weight gain, improved glucose metabolism and prevented obesity.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41573-025-00048-4

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