How the Experimental Nasal Spray Works
The therapy relies on microscopic biological particles called extracellular vesicles (EVs). These tiny structures naturally transport genetic material between cells. In this case, they were loaded with microRNAs, molecules that help regulate important biological processes in the brain.
“MicroRNAs act like master regulators,” Narayana said. “They help modulate and regulate many gene and signaling pathways in the brain.”
Researchers delivered the EVs through a nasal spray, allowing the treatment to bypass the brain’s protective barrier and travel directly into brain tissue.
“The mode of delivery is one of the most exciting aspects of our approach,” Kodali said. “Intranasal delivery allows us to reach, and treat, the brain directly without invasive procedures.”
Once inside the brain, the treatment targeted immune cells involved in chronic inflammation. According to the researchers, the therapy suppressed inflammatory systems such as the NLRP3 inflammasome and the cGAS-STING signaling pathways, both of which are strongly linked to aging related brain inflammation.
Paper:
Intranasal Human NSC‐Derived EVs Therapy Can Restrain Inflammatory Microglial Transcriptome, and NLRP3 and cGAS‐STING Signalling, in Aged Hippocampus . Journal of Extracellular Vesicles , 2026; 15 (2) DOI: 10.1002/jev2.70232