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Nanoparticle chomps away plaques that cause heart attacks:
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.
[...] "We found we could stimulate the macrophages to selectively eat dead and dying cells—these inflammatory cells are precursor cells to atherosclerosis—that are part of the cause of heart attacks," Smith said. "We could deliver a small molecule inside the macrophages to tell them to begin eating again."
[...] "We were able to marry a groundbreaking finding in atherosclerosis by our collaborators with the state-of-the-art selectivity and delivery capabilities of our advanced nanomaterial platform. We demonstrated the nanomaterials were able to selectively seek out and deliver a message to the very cells needed," Smith said. "It gives a particular energy to our future work, which will include clinical translation of these nanomaterials using large animal models and human tissue tests. We believe it is better than previous methods."
Smith has filed a provisional patent and will begin marketing it later this year.
Journal Reference:
Alyssa M. Flores et al. Pro-efferocytic nanoparticles are specifically taken up by lesional macrophages and prevent atherosclerosis$, Nature Nanotechnology (DOI: 10.1038/s41565-019-0619-3)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 29 2020, @03:22AM (3 children)
Damn, well I had a reply to you Azuma and fucked up posting properly and posted the message to Barbara since I have to copy my writing in the event of invalid form keys or IP ban messages.
The gist was that I used to post thoughtful replies, attempt to provide sources, the whole nine. After years of being shat on by ignoramuses who insist their ignorance is as good as my facts, with a heap of insults on top, I have had enough.
I don't see how my posting is much different than yours, you frequently go on tirades without actually educating the person you're replying to. I do try not to troll, but I no longer have a problem with just calling someone an idiot when I think they are being one. Please give me some quotes of something you consider like Aristarchus' trolling otherwise I have no idea which parts are so reprehensible.
Also, did you catch that this is a new effort at preventing me from posting that I can only assume TMB is coding? I am not repeating my rant for simple attention.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday January 29 2020, @04:15AM (2 children)
Honestly, there are times I wonder if this site deserves to disappear. It's been taken over by some real dirtbags, and your observation of "...ignoramuses who insist their ignorance is as good as my facts..." is spot-on. It's beyond infuriating; it's actually a powerful inductive argument for certain forms of atheism, in that if there were truly a good, loving, and just God that interfered in human affairs in real time, these peoples' heads would explode.
If I might ask, who were you before? Did you have a named account? And, I don't think what you post is reprehensible, but I do think it runs into the "civility trap" whereby people with no actual morals hide behind "butbut MUH CIVIL DISCOURSE!" and feel justified ignoring or excoriating your content (facts) for its lack of civility (t3h feelz). Ironic, isn't it?
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 29 2020, @06:31AM (1 child)
Well as far as horror shows goes this site is probably the best intersection we can hope for between the partisan divide. The real civility trap is in allowing the assholes to laugh their asses off as they push their dumb narratives, it ropes in the human that doesn't have enough knowledge to see through the bullshit.
I was nobody, king of the cowards. Highest upvoted AC around!
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday January 29 2020, @03:35PM
No one says you can't both register an account and post AC.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...