Medicine-covered nanoparticles could help stroke victims
Doctors have been working for years on using tiny nanoparticles covered in clot busting drugs to clear blocked vessels in stroke victims. The only problem is that when a vessel is completely blocked, a lack of blood flow in the affected area is a problem. Strokes can be treated by inserting a stent into the clot, then opening it to pull the clot out but it can cause damage to the artery or dislodge pieces of the clot that get stuck elsewhere. Scientists at Harvard and UMass have struck on a method for using a stent to burrow a small hole through the clot, then releasing the nanoparticles into it. The increased pressure in the channel activates the drugs, which attach to the clot, break it up and continue to work on busting it up even as parts break off — check after the break for a quick video showing the process in action.
Source: Harvard Wyss Institute
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