Biomedical Engineering

Polymer nanotherapeutics: what’s good for the heart is also good for the brain!

February 21, 2017

4:30 p.m. ET

Doherty Hall A302

Prabhas Moghe, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Rutgers University

Abstract

Acute heart syndromes stem from the uncontrolled accumulation of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (LDL) within the walls of blood vessels, a process called atherosclerosis.  We propose the concept of nanoscale polymeric biomaterials as therapeutics, which can inhibit cholesterol accumulation and the related inflammation that lead to atherosclerotic plaques. We have discovered that assemblies of such nanolipoblockers (NLBs) can systematically target the scavenger receptor molecules that traffic highly oxidized LDL into inflammatory macrophages and improve the outcomes of atherosclerotic disease in vivo. This talk will highlight both the basic research and translational impacts.  A parallel new research direction is the use of similar scavenger receptor-targeted nanoparticles as therapeutics against protein-aggregation in the brain, a major trigger for neurodegenerative diseases.

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