Using Nanoparticles In Medicine

[Recusant]

Ideas on the use of nanoparticles in medicine aren't particularly new. See for instance "Nanoparticles awaken immune cells to fight cancer" from 2017. Nanomedicine is a recognized field of research and application, and there are already treatments in use.

I think we'll be hearing more about this topic, so I've given a generic title to the thread. This post is about a new nanoparticle treatment for heart disease.

"Nanoparticle Chomps Away Plaques That Cause Heart Attacks" | MSU Today

The dotted line outlines the atherosclerotic artery and the green represents our nanoparticles,
which are in the plaque. The red indicates macrophages, which is the cell type that the
nanoparticles are stimulating to eat the debris.
Image credit: Bryan Smith, Michigan State University

Michigan State University and Stanford University scientists have invented a nanoparticle that eats away – from the inside out – portions of plaques that cause heart attacks.

Bryan Smith, associate professor of biomedical engineering at MSU, and a team of scientists created a "Trojan Horse" nanoparticle that can be directed to eat debris, reducing and stabilizing plaque. The discovery could be a potential treatment for atherosclerosis, a leading cause of death in the United States.

The results, published in the current issue of Nature Nanotechnology, showcases the nanoparticle that homes in on atherosclerotic plaque due to its high selectivity to a particular immune cell type – monocytes and macrophages. Once inside the macrophages in those plaques, it delivers a drug agent that stimulates the cell to engulf and eat cellular debris. Basically, it removes the diseased/dead cells in the plaque core. By reinvigorating the macrophages, plaque size is reduced and stabilized.

Smith said that future clinical trials on the nanoparticle are expected to reduce the risk of most types of heart attacks, with minimal side effects due to the unprecedented selectivity of the nanodrug.

[Continues . . .]

[Icarus]

Article in February Scientific American is titled: The case for less heart surgery.  Medications, in many cases, are shown to produce results as good as or better than invasive surgery.

[Dark Lightning]

One of my sons and I were discussing this yesterday, and he commented that he could eat steak and drink alcohol every day, and get a new liver or the nanos to clean up the mess. We had a chuckle about it, but we did agree that there are people who would do just that.