Therapeutic nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticle-based therapy against atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular disease is nowadays the main cause for mortality in the Western world. One of the most common diseases is atherosclerosis, a complex process characterized by fat and other cell deposits in the inner walls of arteries resulting in the formation of atheroma plaque that may eventually lead to obstructions.
A stent is a medical prosthetic device which is used to rehabilitate obstructed body conduits such as atherosclerotic blood vessels. Thus, the Grup de Magnetisme at Universitat de Barcelona (GMUB, host institution) and the Grup de Recerca en Insuficiència Cardíaca i Regeneració Cardíaca with researchers from Interventional Cardiology have developed a collaborative project named STENTS (Selective aTheroma Elimination with Nanodot Technology and Stent tracking). In particular, the STENTS proposal attempts the exploration and development of a reduced-cost, non-invasive and non-ionizing delivery method to eliminate atheroma plaques using magnetic nanoparticles (specifically directed against foam cells, which are one of the main cell components of the atheroma plaque) following their activation under low-power, high-frequency microwaves.
This proyect is in its eary phase of development.