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11-11-2024, 11:25 AM
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Researchers from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) have developed a nanoparticle that can diagnose the build-up of plaque in the arteries, otherwise known as atherosclerosis, as well as target atherosclerotic plaques and deliver therapeutic agents.
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The findings were published in nanoscience journal Small in August.
Assistant Professor Wang Jiong-Wei, who led the study, compared the nanoparticles to delivery vehicles, sending both imaging and treatment agents directly to the plaque.
This could eventually relieve patients of the need to see multiple specialists for diagnosis and treatment, saving them both time and money, said the principal investigator at the Nanomedicine Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine.
Drugs in the nanoparticles will not affect patients whose conditions have improved, Prof Wang told The Straits Times.
For such individuals, the nanoparticles will degrade or pass harmlessly out of the body within a few days, he added.
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The multidisciplinary study was conducted in collaboration with Associate Professor James Kah and Professor Liu Bin, both from the College of Design and Engineering at NUS, and Professor Liu Xiaogang from the chemistry department at the NUS Faculty of Science.
Atherosclerosis, which causes the narrowing of the arteries, is a primary cause of cardiovascular diseases, responsible for more than 17 million deaths worldwide annually, according to the World Health Organisation.
Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality in Singapore, accounting for 31 per cent of deaths in 2022.
The use of nanoparticles has several advantages over existing methods for imaging atherosclerotic plaque, which tend to be more invasive and limited in their resolution, in addition to being unable to deliver targeted therapies.
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While it is still in the proof-of-concept stage, Prof Wang said he hopes to put the nanoparticle into clinical trials within the next three to five years.
Reiterating that the nanoparticles act as vehicles, he said that in future, such particles could include multiple other components for the treatment and diagnosis of other diseases.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/h...n-arteries
Researchers from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) have developed a nanoparticle that can diagnose the build-up of plaque in the arteries, otherwise known as atherosclerosis, as well as target atherosclerotic plaques and deliver therapeutic agents.
......
The findings were published in nanoscience journal Small in August.
Assistant Professor Wang Jiong-Wei, who led the study, compared the nanoparticles to delivery vehicles, sending both imaging and treatment agents directly to the plaque.
This could eventually relieve patients of the need to see multiple specialists for diagnosis and treatment, saving them both time and money, said the principal investigator at the Nanomedicine Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine.
Drugs in the nanoparticles will not affect patients whose conditions have improved, Prof Wang told The Straits Times.
For such individuals, the nanoparticles will degrade or pass harmlessly out of the body within a few days, he added.
......
The multidisciplinary study was conducted in collaboration with Associate Professor James Kah and Professor Liu Bin, both from the College of Design and Engineering at NUS, and Professor Liu Xiaogang from the chemistry department at the NUS Faculty of Science.
Atherosclerosis, which causes the narrowing of the arteries, is a primary cause of cardiovascular diseases, responsible for more than 17 million deaths worldwide annually, according to the World Health Organisation.
Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality in Singapore, accounting for 31 per cent of deaths in 2022.
The use of nanoparticles has several advantages over existing methods for imaging atherosclerotic plaque, which tend to be more invasive and limited in their resolution, in addition to being unable to deliver targeted therapies.
......
While it is still in the proof-of-concept stage, Prof Wang said he hopes to put the nanoparticle into clinical trials within the next three to five years.
Reiterating that the nanoparticles act as vehicles, he said that in future, such particles could include multiple other components for the treatment and diagnosis of other diseases.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/h...n-arteries
