Nanoparticles That Hunt Plaque and Heal Arteries? It’s Happening.

Imagine a tiny tool—thousands of times smaller than a human hair—that can find and shrink dangerous plaque in your arteries without traditional drugs. That’s exactly what researchers in Australia and Canada have developed with a new class of “theranostic” nanoparticles.

Called Por-NPs, these microscopic particles target the immune cells in artery walls that absorb cholesterol. When overwhelmed, these cells become foam cells and contribute to artery-clogging plaques—a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. The nanoparticles not only detect these trouble spots using fluorescence or PET scans, but they also reduce inflammation and help these immune cells unload cholesterol, disrupting the cycle that drives heart disease.

In tests on mice prone to atherosclerosis and fed a high-fat diet, the results were striking: plaque size shrank by up to 52%, and inflammation dropped dramatically. Most of the nanoparticles then traveled safely to the liver—where they deposited the excess cholesterol for natural processing.

This dual-action approach is still experimental but holds promise as a powerful new way to see and treat cardiovascular disease at the same time—possibly even before symptoms appear.

The research was published in the journal Materials Today Bio.

Heart health & disease focus
#HeartHealth #Cardiovascular #Atherosclerosis #HeartDisease #StrokePrevention

Nanotech & biomedical innovation
#Nanomedicine #Nanoparticles #Theranostics #MedicalNanotech #AdvancedMaterials

Research & science
#MedicalBreakthrough #Biotech #TranslationalMedicine #FutureOfMedicine #CuttingEdgeScience

Regional / discovery angle (optional)
#AustraliaResearch #CanadaResearch #GlobalHealthInnovation

Nanoparticles That Hunt Plaque and Heal Arteries? It’s Happening.

Imagine a tiny tool—thousands of times smaller than a human hair—that can find and shrink dangerous plaque in your arteries without traditional drugs. That’s exactly what researchers in Australia and Canada have developed with a new class of “theranostic” nanoparticles.

Called Por-NPs, these microscopic particles target the immune cells in artery walls that absorb cholesterol. When overwhelmed, these cells become foam cells and contribute to artery-clogging plaques—a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. The nanoparticles not only detect these trouble spots using fluorescence or PET scans, but they also reduce inflammation and help these immune cells unload cholesterol, disrupting the cycle that drives heart disease.

In tests on mice prone to atherosclerosis and fed a high-fat diet, the results were striking: plaque size shrank by up to 52%, and inflammation dropped dramatically. Most of the nanoparticles then traveled safely to the liver—where they deposited the excess cholesterol for natural processing.

This dual-action approach is still experimental but holds promise as a powerful new way to see and treat cardiovascular disease at the same time—possibly even before symptoms appear.

The research was published in the journal Materials Today Bio.

Cardiovascular & Heart Health
#HeartHealth #CardiovascularHealth #Atherosclerosis #HeartDisease #StrokePrevention #PlaqueReduction #HealthyArteries #CirculatorySystem

Nanotechnology & Nanomedicine
#Nanoparticles #Nanomedicine #Nanotechnology #NanoTherapy #NanoHealth #MedicalNanotech #Theranostics #NanoInnovation

Research & Medical Breakthrough
#MedicalBreakthrough #MedicalInnovation #ScienceNews #BiomedicalResearch #FutureOfMedicine #NextGenMedicine #LifeSciences #HealthTech

Inflammation & Immunology
#AntiInflammatory #Immunotherapy #CholesterolControl #InflammationResearch #ImmuneHealth

It’s a strange thing, isn't it? You might notice your child's tonsils look a bit… off. Maybe an unusual yellowish-orange color. #ABCA1gene #apolipoproteinA1 #atherosclerosis #geneticdisorder #HDLcholesterol #LDLcholesterol #Tangierdisease

https://priya.health/tangier-disease/

Researchers found a chemical cause of #atherosclerosis, a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. Gut biomes can produce imidazole propionate, which causes inflammation, which in turn causes fatty deposits inside blood vessels. The 15-year study was just published in Nature.

“Imidazole propionate induces atherosclerosis on its own. There’s a causal relationship.”

Some colorectal #cancer is linked to another gut culprit: Escherichia coli toxin, colibactin.

https://english.elpais.com/health/2025-07-17/revolution-in-medicine-a-molecule-produced-by-gut-bacteria-causes-atherosclerosis-responsible-for-millions-of-deaths.html #medicine

It often starts with a routine check-up. You’re feeling fine, maybe just in for your annual physical. We run some blood work, and then the results come back. #atherosclerosis #cardiovasculardisease #hearthealth #highcholesterol #Hypercholesterolemia #LDLcholesterol #Statins

https://priya.health/hypercholesterolemia/

🫀 Revolution in medicine: A molecule produced by gut bacteria causes atherosclerosis, responsible for millions of deaths

https://english.elpais.com/health/2025-07-17/revolution-in-medicine-a-molecule-produced-by-gut-bacteria-causes-atherosclerosis-responsible-for-millions-of-deaths.html

#health #medicine #heartdisease #atherosclerosis #disease #bacteria #gut #microbiome #biology

Discovery of a New Molecule Contributing to Atherosclerosis Raises Potential for Early Diagnosis and Treatment

A recent study conducted by the National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) in Madrid has uncovered a new factor in the development of atherosclerosis, a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases. The molecule, imidazole propionate (ImP), produced by intestinal bacteria, has been identified as... [More info]

I remember a patient, let’s call him Mark. He breezed in for his annual check-up, feeling absolutely fine, full of energy. Then his blood test results came back. The number that really stood out? #atherosclerosis #cardiovasculardisease #hearthealth #hightriglycerides #hypertriglyceridemia #lowertriglycerides #triglycerides

https://priya.health/triglycerides/

I remember a patient, let's call him Mark. He breezed in for his annual check-up, feeling absolutely fine, full of energy. Then his blood test results came back. The number that really stood out? #atherosclerosis #cardiovasculardisease #hearthealth #hightriglycerides #hypertriglyceridemia #lowertriglycerides #triglycerides

https://priya.health/triglycerides/