14 DAY TRIAL // A group of scientists at the University of Sydney announces the development and testing of a new class of microparticles, which they say can come in handy when dealing with the effects of a heart attack.
The particles are basically very small balls made up of a biodegradable compound called poly lactic-co-glycolic acid. This chemical is already being used in surgical sutures that are absorbed in the body after the skin is repaired, so it is safe for humans.
Each tiny ball is 200 times smaller than the thickness of a single human hair. Science Blog reports.
The Australian team argues that injecting these microparticles in the bloodstreams of heart attack patients within 24 hours of the event can contribute to reducing the type of tissue damage that usually accompanies this condition. Inflammatory cells in the bloodstream are responsible for this damage.
“This is the first therapy that specifically targets a key driver of the damage that occurs after a heart attack. There is no other therapy on the horizon that can do this. It has the potential to transform the way heart attacks and cardiovascular disease is treated,” says Dr. Daniel Getts, a study team member.