Scientists at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute infused antibody-studded iron nanoparticles into the bloodstream to treat heart attack damage. The combined nanoparticle enabled precise localization of the body's own stem cells to the injured heart muscle, according to the researchers.
The study, published in Nature Communications, addresses a central challenge in stem cell therapeutics: how to achieve targeted interactions between stem cells and injured cells. Although stem cells can be a potent weapon in the fight against certain diseases, simply infusing a patient with stem cells is no guarantee the stem cells will be able to travel to the injured area and work collaboratively with the cells already there.
“Infusing stem cells into arteries in order to regenerate injured heart muscle can be inefficient,” noted Eduardo Marbán, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, who led the research team. “Because the heart is continuously pumping, the stem cells can be pushed out of the heart chamber before they even get a chance to begin to heal the injury.”
In an attempt to target healing stem cells to the site of the injury, researchers coated iron nanoparticles with two kinds of antibodies that recognize and bind specifically to stem cells and to injured cells in the body. After the nanoparticles were infused into the bloodstream, they successfully tracked to the injured area and initiated healing.
“The result is a kind of molecular matchmaking,” said Dr. Marbán. “Through magnetic resonance imaging, we were able to see the iron-tagged cells traveling to the site of injury where the healing could begin. Furthermore, targeting was enhanced even further by placing a magnet above the injured heart.”
Dr. Marbán believes the iron nanoparticle concept can be used to treat other health conditions as well, such as peripheral vascular disease and asthma. If future research is successful, the procedure could be ready for human clinical studies in about three years, he added.
