Nanoparticle Technology To Treat Vascular Occlusions Using Much-Lower Drug Doses
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
New research shows that aggregates of nanoparticles will target an occluded blood vessel, responding to the higher shear force present as blood flows through the blockage. When coated with the anti-clotting drug tPA, the nanoparticles dissolve clots at one-hundredth the therapeutic dose of tPA, suggesting a much broader potential clinical use for that drug. This proof of concept also suggests that the nanoparticle technology may be applied to target any disease characterized by vessel constriction, including stroke and heart attack.