Sprayed Custom Gold Nanoparticles Could Help Tackle Heart Disease, Scientists Say

One of the researchers who led the study argued that their method is simpler than other regenerative approaches that are used for treating an infarcted heart.

New research led by Dr. Emilio Alarcon and Dr. Erik Suuronen, associate professors at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, suggests that customised gold nanoparticles can potentially be applied in the treatment of heart diseases.

According to a news release posted on the university’s website, the researchers tested a therapy that involved spraying gold nanoparticles modified with peptides on the hearts of lab mice.

The researchers discovered that their method resulted in an improvement in both cardiac function and heart electrical conductivity, and found no hint of “off-target organ infiltration” by the gold particles they used.

“That’s the beauty of this approach. You spray, then you wait a couple of weeks, and the animals are doing just fine compared to the controls,” said Dr. Alarcon.

He also suggested that the application of this method is much simpler than other regenerative approaches that are used for treating an infarcted heart.

The team now seeks to adapt this technology to “minimally invasive procedures that will expedite testing in large animal models, such as rabbits and pigs,” the release notes.

The study also involved researchers from the University of Talca in Chile, and part of the work was funded by the Canadian government’s New Frontiers in Research Fund.