The purpose of the GEMINI Centre on DRUGGING THE BRAIN is to build and develop a Norwegian academic environment with a research focus on targeting and drugging various pathologies of brain. Given the prevalence of neurological disorders as our society age, our research focus and the resulting innovation may have significant potential impact on health and well-being of our society.

When targeting molecular mechanisms related to the brain, it is essential to develop drugs and methodological approaches that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to effectively reach their target sites. The BBB is composed of tightly packed cells that restrict the entry of most molecules, including many therapeutic agents. For example, in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease or stroke, our aim is to target molecular mechanisms that contribute to the degeneration of neurons in the brain. Similarly, for brain cancer treatment, we aim to target and reduce the growth of terminally differentiated brain cells, primarily from glial lineage, which have de-differentiated to grow again giving rise to cancer. However, many of the drugs that target these mechanisms are unable to cross the BBB, limiting their effectiveness. In this Gemini centre, research groups from Trondheim and Oslo have come together with multimodal approaches ranging from development of small molecules to nano-formulations and ultrasound mediated methods to target molecular mechanisms contributing to various pathologies of brain. 

Our overarching objective is to identify novel methodological approaches to deliver small molecules and biologics including antisense RNA across the BBB. Our target pathologies include Parkinson's disease, Glioblastoma, and stroke.

Our specific aim include:

1. Identification of novel small molecule inhibitors to target brain cancers

2. Novel antisense RNA to target neurological diseases

3. Implementation of therapeutic approaches ultrasound-based approaches to take the small molecule across BBB

4. Implementation of novel nanomedicine technology to target BBB