Polymersomes - can these unique nanoparticles be used to protect the heart?

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TA heart attack is the acute event that causes death and injury in patients with coronary artery disease. Currently, restoration of normal blood flow is the main treatment but, paradoxically , this restoration, also causes injury to heart muscle in what is termed "lethal reperfusion injury" (myocardial cell death). Therefore, finding ways to reduce lethal reperfusion injury is vital for these patients.We have recently shown that exosomes - endogenous nanoparticles in the blood - are cardioprotective. However, they are heterogeneous, difficult to purify, and therefore not ideal potential therapeutic agents. Polymersomes, on the other hand, are a totally unique type of nanoparticle we developed that is completely synthetic, can be easily produced, and can be modified as desired to optimize performance. For example, by modifying their surface, they can be designed to home to targets on the surface of specific cell types.Our two groups are collaborating to use polymersomes for the first time to treating lethal reperfusion injury in the heart.The aims of this project are:1. starting with fluorescently labelled polymersomes, to demonstrate their uptake and delivery into the heart, and specifically into cardiac myocytes,2. to load polymersomes with cardioprotective agents and show they can protect the heart against ischaemic and reperfusion injury,3. to modify polymersomes in various ways to improve them, for example targeting them specifically to the injured heart (eg: via LRP1)The primary lab has all cardiovascular protocols in place: human muscle, rodent heart and other cellular models. The secondary lab has everything required for chemical synthesis of polymersomes. We are eager to find an enthusiastic and capable student willing to take this project forward.