Synthetic-HDL-nanoparticles may be able to carry cholesterol through the bloodstream and onto the liver for excretion. Such an innovation in drug treatment of cardiovascular disease could be used to prevent stroke and heart attack within the next decade.
Northwestern University Assistant Professor of Urology Shad Thaxton has designed a nanoparticle that mimics HDL (the “good cholesterol”). The synthetic HDL is able to bind tightly to LDL (the “bad cholesterol”) molecules and thus transport cholesterol from blood-vessel plaques to the liver.
The nanoparticles are composed of gold spheres five nanometers in diameter which are coated with fat and protein molecules which allow them to bind to cholesterol found in arterial plaques. The work is in its early stages, but Thaxton envisions the synthetic HDL as a preventive therapy in cardiovascular disease if proved safe and effective.
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