Tiny tech developed to tackle heart attacks

Scientists are developing technology that seeks out and destroys the deadly blockages that cause thousands of heart attacks a year.

The treatment, which scientists believe could be given to patients in as little as three years, uses a nanoparticle that identifies and latches on to the most dangerous plaques in blood vessels near the heart. A tiny capsule – just a 5000th of a millimetre in size – releases an anti-inflammatory medicine, breaking down the plaque and slashing the risk of a heart attack.

The approach, developed by researchers at Imperial College London, marks a radical departure in the treatment of coronary arterial disease – the primary cause of heart attacks.

For years, those at risk of heart disease have been given pills such as statins to reduce levels of cholesterol – the fatty substance that causes the plaques.

At-risk patients have also been given pills to lower blood pressure, which further reduces the risk of an attack.

And when people start suffering severe symptoms a stent can be inserted to widen arteries and increase blood flow to the heart.

But Dr Ramzi Khamis, a consultant cardiologist and researcher at Imperial, said that by identifying and directly treating the most dangerous plaques – known as atherosclerosis – the most vulnerable patients could be saved.

‘‘If you’ve got atherosclerosis in your arteries, one of a few things can happen,’’ he said. ‘‘The first is nothing – you could just live with it and carry on.

‘‘The second thing is that it gets worse, worse and worse, and the blood supply becomes reduced to the heart muscle and you get something called angina. We fix that by giving medication but also by putting in stents.

‘‘But the third thing is the most dangerous thing – the plaque ruptures, and you get a clot and that clot completely blocks the blood supply to the muscle, and you have a heart attack.’’