A tiny solution to a big problem

Over 80,000 people die each year from coronary heart disease (CHD) and a big contributing factor is high cholesterol. Researchers in Surrey are using nanotechnology to come up with a way to reduce cholesterol and people’s risk of CHD and heart attack.

CHD occurs when the coronary arteries become narrowed by a gradual build-up of fatty material in their walls – high levels of harmful LDL cholesterol in the blood contribute to this. Many people, thanks in part to BHF-funded research, now take the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins. But these drugs are not suitable for all heart patients so we’re funding research like this into alternative treatments.

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Scientists at the University of Surrey, working in collaboration with the University of Bath, are developing synthetic particles that act like tiny cleaners sweeping up the harmful cholesterol from the bloodstream and getting rid of it through the liver. These particles, called Polycelles, are less than a hair’s width in size.

Thanks to your support we’re funding a £300,000 research project into this technology. Over three years the researchers will design and build their Polycelles before carefully measuring and analysing them to make sure they’re safe and effective. The team comes from a variety of scientific disciplines and includes an expert in metabolic diseases who will make sure the technology is designed so that it can become a treatment for patients as soon as possible.