THE ESSENTIAL
- The mRNA technique uses lipid nanoparticles to make the body’s cells react
- An experiment on the use of this technique in the repair of heart cells damaged by infarction has shown promising results.
The general public discovered the technique of messenger RNA through the new vaccines developed following the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, this technique which consists, for the vaccine, in using lipid nanoparticles – like tiny droplets of fat – to deliver a messenger RNA into the cells to give them the signal to manufacture the protein which will block the famous Spike protein with which the coronavirus infects them, is heralded as a promising innovation in the treatment of heart disease.
Presented at the Congress of the European Society of Cardiologya study shows how mRNA can be used, instead of aiming to produce an immune response, as a way to tell cells in the heart to repair themselves following a heart attack.
Lipid nanoparticles injected directly into the heart muscle
To see if mRNA might be delivered into heart muscle, the researchers injected lipid nanoparticles with different formulations into the left ventricular wall of mouse hearts. An intervention that was done with an open chest. After 24 hours, the animals were euthanized and by examining their heart tissue, the scientists found that the messenger RNA had indeed reached the heart cells.
“It was encouraging to see that there was translation of mRNA in heart tissue, this means that lipid nanoparticles can function as delivery systems for mRNA therapies“, rejoiced Dr. Clara Labonia of the University Medical Center of Utrecht, author of this study.
Ensure the therapeutic effect on a heart affected by a heart attack
The only “surprise” the scientists encountered was that despite injecting the lipid nanoparticles directly into the heart muscle, the highest levels of mRNA translation were found in liver and kidney cells. the spleen of the animals used for this experiment. “This high expression was, however, expected, especially in the liver, because it is this organ that metabolizes fat droplets.“, emphasizes Dr. Labonia.
But this means that there is still an important step to be validated: targeting cardiac muscle cells more effectively and above all ensuring that, with this administration by the lipid nanoparticle method, the mRNA does indeed have a therapeutic effect on a heart that has had a heart attack.
