The development of therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases runs into one of the hardest problems in medicine: delivering a drug across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) safely, and in a form that still works once it is on the other side. At Prisys Biotech, we have established Asia's first intraoperative MRI (iMRI)-guided brain drug delivery system, along with complementary approaches such as intrathecal dosing, nasal-to-brain delivery, and vascular interventional technologies. The routes are complementary because none of them reaches every target: deep parenchymal structures, the ventricular space, and the nasal cavity pose different problems, and a program may need several.
1. iMRI-Guided Brain Drug Delivery
The iMRI-guided delivery platform represents the core of Prisys Biotech's brain-targeting technologies. By integrating MRI navigation with convection-enhanced delivery (CED), this system achieves sub-millimeter accuracy in drug administration directly to target brain structures.
Key Advantages
- Crosses the BBB: Localized delivery reduces systemic exposure.
- Real-Time Navigation: MRI visualization guides the injection trajectory and confirms the target.
- Enhanced Distribution: CED improves drug dispersion within brain tissue.
- Translational Relevance: The same technology is used in clinical settings, bridging preclinical and human studies.
- Minimally Invasive: Microinjection procedures reduce trauma compared with open surgical approaches.
Applications
- Gene and Cell Therapy: Supports intracranial delivery of viral vectors and cell therapies in translational CNS studies.
- Preclinical Toxicology: Enables single-dose safety studies using Intracerebroventricular (ICV) Injection in cynomolgus monkeys.
- Targeted Neurological Research: Direct drug administration to specific regions such as the striatum, with bilateral precision.
Core Systems And Devices
- ClearPoint® Navigation System and SmartFlow® Cannula for CED.
- High-field 1.5T MRI equipped with customized coils for NHP imaging.
- Advanced neuroimaging protocols (DTI, perfusion, spectroscopy, SWI) for quantitative assessment of drug distribution and disease models.
2. Additional Brain Drug Delivery Approaches
To complement that work, Prisys Biotech provides other brain delivery technologies matched to different therapeutic modalities:
Nasal-to-Brain (N2B) Delivery
A non-invasive route that bypasses the BBB. CT imaging visualizes deposition and brain distribution, and the approach suits dry powder or liquid spray formulations in NHP models. Because the dose must cross the nasal mucosa before reaching brain tissue, nose-to-brain drug delivery puts as much weight on device and formulation as on the molecule.
Intrathecal (IT) Delivery
Intrathecal (IT) Delivery relies on lumbar puncture or cisterna magna access under ultrasound or X-ray guidance. The route enables direct CNS exposure for safety pharmacology and EEG-based functional studies.
Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)-Guided Delivery
Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)-Guided Delivery uses high-resolution vascular imaging to support minimally invasive catheter-based delivery. It is applied in ischemic stroke and cerebrovascular models for targeted drug infusion.
Other Targeted Routes
Bronchoscopic administration for localized pulmonary-neurological research.
Conclusion
By combining iMRI-guided precision injection with multiple complementary delivery routes, Prisys Biotech offers partners a brain-targeted drug delivery platform that reaches structures no single approach can serve. These technologies let partners work around the BBB, evaluate CNS-targeted therapies in translational NHP models, and shorten the distance between a preclinical result and a clinical protocol.
