Imaging and nanomedicine for diagnosis and therapy in the central nervous system: report of the eleventh annual Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption Consortium meeting.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) presents a major obstacle to the treatment of malignant brain tumors and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The Eleventh Annual Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption Consortium Meeting was convened to discuss recent advances and future directions in imaging and nanomedicine. Two sessions, one on Cell and Molecular Imaging in the CNS and another on Nanotechnology, Nanobiology, and Nanomedicine, were held March 17-18, 2005, in Portland, Ore. CNS imaging presentations targeted differentiating tumor, neural lesions, and necrosis from healthy brain tissue; methods of delivery of imaging agents across the BBB; and new iron oxide-based nanoparticle contrast agents for MR imaging. Nanobiology presentations covered the development of new nanotechnology and its use in imaging, diagnosis, and therapy in the CNS. Discussions at this meeting stressed the role of biotechnology in the convergence of CNS imaging and nanomedicine and are summarized in this article.