Published: 26-08-2011 00:00 | Updated: 26-11-2013 10:29

Novel microcapsules to prevent heart disease

[NEWS 26 August 2011] For the past few years, researchers have been studying a promising approach for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, based on growth factor delivery, to stimulate new blood vessel growth from pre-existent blood vessels.

Yihai Cao
Yihai CaoPhoto: Ulf Sirborn

Until now, no suitable combination of these growth factors together with a delivery system ensuring the development of functional blood vessels had been discovered.

The research groups, lead by Yihai Cao at Karolinska Institutet and Ebba Bråkenhielm at Inserm Unit 644, Rouen, France, have now developed a novel strategy that meets this double-edged challenge. They have developed microcapsules containing two effective growth factors, which, once injected into the cardiac muscle, prevent cardiac dysfunction.

Publication

Banquet S, Gomez E, Nicol L, Edwards-Lévy F, Henry JP, Cao R, Schapman D, Dautreaux B, Lallemand F, Bauer F, Cao Y, Thuillez C, Mulder P, Richard V, Brakenhielm E.

Arteriogenic Therapy by Intramyocardial Sustained Delivery of a Novel Growth Factor Combination Prevents Chronic Heart Failure.

Circulation 2011 Aug 8

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