CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — A new brain imaging study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine has validated the use of intranasal insulin as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease—confirming for the first time that insulin delivered via nasal spray can reach key memory and cognition regions in the brain. The study used AptarGroup, Inc.’s specialized nasal drug delivery system, marking a significant milestone in the development of new Alzheimer’s therapies.
Published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, the study used positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and a radiolabeled insulin tracer to show that insulin reached 11 targeted brain areas, including the hippocampus and amygdala. Researchers also found distinct absorption differences between cognitively normal individuals and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), raising the possibility of tailoring treatments to individual patients.
“This study fills a critical gap in our understanding of how intranasal insulin reaches the brain,” said Dr. Suzanne Craft, professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest and director of its Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “We now have a roadmap directly to the brain.”
Sixteen older adults took part in the trial, including nine with MCI. Participants received a nasal spray containing [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-insulin, followed by brain and body scans. Most participants described the device as easy to use, and only two reported minor, short-lived side effects.
According to the study, cognitively normal individuals showed higher brain insulin uptake with slower clearance than those with MCI. Notably, insulin uptake in women correlated with cardiovascular health markers, while elevated levels of ptau217—a biomarker for Alzheimer’s—were linked to reduced insulin absorption.
Reenal Gandhi, Director of Business Development at Aptar Pharma, said the results validate the company’s decades-long investment in nasal drug delivery. “We believe the nasal route holds potential for more developments. As scientific understanding advances, we see continued opportunities for intranasal delivery to improve how therapeutics are delivered to the central nervous system.”
Dr. Craft emphasized that the findings could influence how future Alzheimer’s trials are designed, particularly in developing treatments beyond traditional anti-amyloid drugs. “These findings show that we can now validate whether treatments are actually reaching their intended brain targets,” she said.
The Wake Forest team plans to launch larger validation studies over the next 12 to 18 months to further investigate how vascular health, amyloid buildup, and sex differences affect nasal insulin absorption.
Aptar offers a comprehensive range of nasal and inhaled drug delivery systems, supporting pharmaceutical partners from formulation development through commercial production.
