Nanotechnology 'could signal the future of medicine', scientists claim

Microscopic drones which can seek out and repair sections of artery damage could signal the future of treatments for heart disease and strokes, scientists claim.

Successful tests of the nanodrones have been carried out in mice - and researchers hope to conduct the first human trials soon.

The tiny particles are 1,000 times smaller than the tip of a human hair, and are designed to latch on to atherosclerotic plaques - hard deposits made from accumulated fat, cholesterol and calcium that build up on the walls of arteries and are prone to rupture, producing dangerous clots.

Once they have attached, they release a drug derived from a natural protein which can repair damage in the body.

In the mice, scientists found that just five weeks of treatment resulted in significant repairs to artery damage while the plaques were shrunk and stabilised, making it less likely for fragments to break off and cause clots.

Lead researcher Dr Omid Farokhzad, director of the Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Biomaterials at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston in the United States, said nanotechnology was a pioneering new area of research and treatment for a variety of conditions.

The changes were not seen when the drug was administered directly without the involvement of the nanodrones, nor when the drones were empty.

More about nanotechnology from Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School: