Developing injectable nanomaterials to repair the heart

Mary M. Nguyen, Nathan C. Gianneschi, Karen L. Christman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

Injectable nanomaterials have been designed for the treatment of myocardial infarction, particularly during the acute stages of inflammation and injury. Among these strategies, injectable nanofibrous hydrogel networks or nanoparticle complexes may be delivered alone or with a therapeutic to improve heart function. Intramyocardial delivery of these materials localizes treatments to the site of injury. As an alternative, nanoparticles may be delivered intravenously, which provides the ultimate minimally invasive approach. These systems take advantage of the leaky vasculature after myocardial infarction, and may be designed to specifically target the injured region. The translational applicability of both intramyocardial and intravenous applications may provide safe and effective solutions upon optimizing the timing of the treatments and biodistribution.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)225-231
Number of pages7
JournalCurrent Opinion in Biotechnology
Volume34
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Bioengineering
  • Biomedical Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Developing injectable nanomaterials to repair the heart'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this