A spray that can be applied to the nose has opened up a way to treat traumatic brain injuries caused by traffic accidents or industrial disasters. Traumatic brain injury, if treatment is delayed, can lead to serious disabilities, so its commercialization is expected to greatly assist in patient care.
The U.S. biotechnology corporations Tiziana Life Sciences and researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard University announced on the 28th that they have treated brain edema caused by traumatic brain injury with an anti-CD3 antibody spray.
Traumatic brain injury is a brain condition caused by external shocks such as traffic accidents, industrial disasters, and sports injuries. It is common, with 68 million cases occurring worldwide each year. It can present mild symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and nausea, but in severe cases, nerve cells are damaged, resulting in permanent disabilities.
There are no appropriate treatments for severe traumatic brain injury, except for surgery. Even if bleeding is removed, brain edema can persist for weeks, increasing intracranial pressure and causing secondary brain damage. If paralysis is severe, patients may not fully recover even after surgery.
Researchers found substances that suppress brain edema and immune responses caused by traumatic brain injury. In experiments with mice, the anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody foralumab showed effectiveness in treating traumatic brain injury.
CD3 is a protein on the surface of T cells, which are immune cells, known to trigger immune responses. It binds to external substances, detects them, and creates antibodies that attack them. The anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody binds to CD3 to prevent excessive immune responses. Notably, the anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody was able to travel to the brain through the nasal mucosa, indicating it can be developed as a spray.
Saef Izzy, the first author of the paper, noted, "Mice that received the anti-CD3 antibody spray showed improvement in all neurological symptoms, including anxiety, cognitive decline, and reduced motor abilities," adding that it could provide new hope for patients with traumatic brain injury who lack appropriate treatments.
Nasal sprays have already been proven effective and safe for various neuroinflammatory diseases and autoimmune diseases. Tiziana initially developed the nasal spray as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers said they plan to use these study results as a basis for developing treatments for other neuroinflammatory diseases, including Alzheimer's.
Tiziana Life Sciences is attempting to use anti-CD3 antibodies in the treatment of various brain diseases. It is currently researching its efficacy for Alzheimer's disease and announced research results in January indicating that anti-CD3 is effective in treating spinal injuries.
Professor Howard Weiner, who led the research, said, "A simple spray treatment could allow for quick treatment of patients with traumatic brain injuries from traffic accidents and sports injuries," and expressed hope that it could become a new treatment method to meet unmet medical needs.
The results of this research were published in the international journal "Nature Neuroscience" on that day.
References
Nature Neuroscience (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-01877-7