A team of researchers from the Basque biocompany BTI Biotechnology Institute, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), the Networking Research Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER BBN) and the American biomedical company Incytu Inc. have carried out a review of the latest biomedical progress for cerebral protection, repair and regeneration in an article published in the prestigious scientific journal ‘Nature Reviews Neuroscience’.

The article, included in the September issue of this publication, one of the most influential in the world in the neurosciences sector, reviews the latest advances in the field of regenerative medicine, stem cell technology and the use of new biomimetic biomaterials and matrices for different therapeutic purposes.

Brain damage can be caused by numerous pathological and environmental agents, such as infections, traumas, hypoxic states, poisoning, brain infarct, etc. Neurodegenerative disorders, whose prevalence and incidence is increasing, alter the correct functioning of specific neuron populations, which is translated into the development of psychiatric and neurological symptoms, with the resulting epidemiological and social and health impact. Although current pharmacological treatments are designed to modify these symptoms, at present there are no therapies that effectively restore neuronal functionality or delay or even prevent progressive neurodegeneration of the damaged brain.

Development of intelligent biomaterials and biomimetics, i.e. materials modified with proteins and peptides that enhance their biological properties, is revolutioning the neurological sector and favouring new alternatives to protect, repair and regenerate tissues in the central nervous system. Among these new techniques, the ones that stand out are nanopharmaceutical systems that effectively and predictably increase access by therapeutic agents to damaged brain areas, the use of biomimetic biomaterials for therapeutic purposes or the combination of biomaterials with neural stem cells. Some of these new regenerative medicine treatments are still in the experimental stage, although many others are being assessed in patients in different clinical trials. Progress in the knowledge and development of new biologically active biomaterials and new ways of administering medication, together with progress in cell therapies, will favour safer, more complete and effective therapies for patients.

The research team that has conducted the study published in ‘Nature Reviews Neuroscience’ is made up of Gorka Orive (PhD in Pharmacy and Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology at the UPV/EHU and researcher for BTI Biotechnology Institute and CIBER BBN), Eduardo Anitua (Scientific Director of BTI Biotechnology Institute), José Luis Pedraz (Chair in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology at the UPV/EHU and researcher for CIBER BBN) and Dwaine Emerich (Scientific Director of Incytu Inc.).