Nano-drones may knock cholesterol out of blood

Tiny nano-particles that act like miniature drones could deliver a knock-out punch to plaque buildup in the arteries, according to an experimental approach described by US scientists on Wednesday.

So far the anti-cholesterol treatment has been tried only in lab mice, while the nanoparticles themselves are in clinical trials for people with cancer.

Many more safety tests lie ahead, but for now scientists are intrigued by the possibility of a new way to attack atherosclerosis, which leads to heart attacks and is a top killer in the United States and other developed nations.

The study led by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center is published in the February 18 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

For this study, targeted nanomedicines were engineered to carry an anti-inflammatory drug payload, which released therapeutic agents at the target sites where plaque had built up.