AptarGroup (NYSE: ATR) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have signed a research collaboration agreement to build an integrated translational platform for nose-to-brain (N2B) drug delivery, with the goal of generating a predictive screening tool for central nervous system (CNS) drug candidates. The work will be led by Alice Stanton, PhD, Assistant Professor and Investigator in the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Brigham and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

The platform will combine in vitro, in vivo, and computational modeling approaches to characterize the mechanisms, pathways, and kinetics of N2B transport across a broad range of molecular classes and physicochemical properties. The intended output is a New Approach Methodology (NAM), an approach aligned with FDA efforts to expand human-relevant in vitro and in silico methods in drug development that would allow pharmaceutical developers to assess whether a given compound is suitable for intranasal CNS delivery earlier in development. The Stanton Lab contributes capabilities spanning neurogenetics, omics, machine learning, microfluidics, microphysiological systems, and tissue-engineered organoid models. AptarGroup's pharmaceutical division contributes proprietary nasal delivery systems including its Cerespray and Neurospray platforms, which the company said are intended to support deposition in upper nasal cavity regions associated with N2B transport, along with 30 years of related field data. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The collaboration extends Aptar Pharma's expansion in intranasal and nose-to-brain delivery. In October 2024, the company acquired device technology assets from SipNose Nasal Delivery Systems, including platforms designed for local, systemic, and direct-to-brain delivery, while a 2025 study using an Aptar nasal system demonstrated PET-detectable delivery of intranasal insulin to multiple brain regions in humans. Aptar also partnered with France-based Dianosic in 2025 on an intranasal scaffold platform, with nose-to-brain applications among the areas being explored.

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