Non-invasive method fights heart disease

One of the standard ways to treat clogged and damaged arteries is to implant vascular stents, which hold the vessels open and release such drugs as paclitaxel. The researchers, led by Clemson University bioengineering Prof Naren Vyavahare, hope their advanced nanoparticles could be used alongside stents or in lieu of them.

‘Healthy arteries have elastic fibres that provide elasticity. They are like rubber bands in the tissue that allow expansion and recoil during blood flow,’ Vyavahare said in a statement. ‘In most cardiovascular diseases, elastic fibres in arteries get damaged, creating hooks that can be used to target drugs.’

The nanoparticles, coated with a sticky protein, latch onto damaged arteries and can reportedly deliver a drug to the site via slow release.

These nanoparticles can be engineered to deliver an array of drugs to the damaged or clogged artery, a common example being paclitaxel, which inhibits cell division and helps prevent growth of scar tissue that can clog arteries.