Aptar Group Teams Up with MGH on Nose-to-Brain Drug Delivery Research

AptarGroup Inc., a global manufacturer of packaging solutions, has partnered with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to develop a translational research platform focused on nose-to-brain drug delivery. The collaboration, announced on September 14, 2026, aims to integrate in vitro, in vivo, and computational technologies to characterize the mechanisms, pathways, and kinetics of nasal drug transport to the brain. The initiative seeks to refine screening methodologies for compounds during drug development, leveraging Aptar’s proprietary nasal delivery systems, including its Cerespray and Neurospray platforms, which the company claims have 30 years of field experience in nasal formulations. MGH’s lead researcher, Dr. Alice Stanton, PhD, an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, will oversee the study, which seeks to profile the intranasal pathway to the brain and develop tools to bypass the blood-brain barrier—a challenge for many therapeutic compounds. The project aligns with Aptar’s broader focus on innovative drug delivery solutions, particularly for neurological and central nervous system disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and depression. The collaboration underscores the potential of non-invasive nasal administration as a transformative approach to drug delivery, offering a more predictable and data-driven pathway for pharmaceutical development.