Breaking Barriers in Alzheimer’s Disease: the Role of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), characterized by cognitive impairment, brain plaques, and tangles, is a global health concern affecting millions. It involves the build-up of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau proteins, the formation of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, cholinergic system dysfunction, genetic variations, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Various signaling pathways and metabolic processes are implicated in AD, along with numerous biomarkers used for diagnosis, risk assessment, and research. Despite these, there is no cure or effective treatment for AD. It is critically important to address this immediately to develop novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) capable of targeting the brain and delivering therapeutic agents to modulate the pathological processes of AD. This review summarizes AD, its pathogenesis, related signaling pathways, biomarkers, conventional treatments, the need for NDDS, and their application in AD treatment. It also covers preclinical, clinical, and ongoing trials, patents, and marketed AD formulations.