Nanoburrs tackle cardiovascular disease

The particles, dubbed ‘nanoburrs’, are coated with tiny protein fragments that allow them to stick to damaged arterial walls. Once stuck, they can release drugs such paclitaxel, which inhibits cell division and helps prevent growth of scar tissue that can clog arteries.

MIT Institute professor Robert Langer, and Omid Farokhzad, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, previously developed nanoparticles that seek out and destroy tumours. Their nanoburrs, however, are among the first particles that can zero in on damaged vascular tissue.

Mark Davis, professor of chemical engineering at Caltech, said the work is a promising step towards new treatments for cardiovascular and other diseases. Davis, who was not involved in the research, said: ‘If they could do this in patients — target particles to injured areas — that could open up all kinds of new opportunities.’

Currently, one of the standard ways to treat clogged and damaged arteries is by implanting a vascular stent, which holds the artery open and releases drugs such as paclitaxel. The researchers hope that their new nanoburrs could be used alongside such stents — or in lieu of them — to treat damage located in areas not well suited to stents, such as near a fork in the artery.