ALZET Brain Infusion Kits and Present Status and Future Trends of Osmotic Pumps

Many agents do not cross the blood-brain barrier su fficiently to evaluate their effects on the brain without delivering them locally. Cerebral inj ection is one local delivery method, but it can be challenging to deliver an effective dose in a physiologically-compatible volume. In addition, the agent may not remain in the target lo cation long enough to see an effect. For many compounds, local infusion directly into the br ain is the only way to generate reliable data. The ALZET Brain Infusion Kits are designed specifically for use with ALZET pumps for targeted delivery to the central nervous system . They can be used in two ways first Infusion into the cerebral ventricles exposes a wid e variety of brain regions to the infusate via the cerebrospinal fluid which bathes the brain seco nd by direct microperfusion of discrete brain structures results in localized distribution of infusate in the target tissue.