MIT engineers have developed a flexible drug-delivery patch that can be placed on the heart after a heart attack to help promote healing and regeneration of cardiac tissue. The patch is designed to carry several different drugs that can be released at different times, on a pre-programmed schedule. Image Credit: Courtesy of the researchers
Health USATiny Patch Offers Big Hope for Healing the Heart
MIT engineers in the U.S. have developed a programmable drug-delivery patch that can be placed directly on the heart after a heart attack, facilitating the healing of damaged tissue and regenerating blood vessels in ways previously not possible.
“This system delivers key components at just the right time, in the sequence the body naturally uses to heal,” said Ana Jaklenec, lead researcher at MIT’s Koch Institute. “Our goal is to restore heart function, not just prevent further damage.”
The flexible hydrogel patch contains three sets of microscopic capsules that release different drugs over two weeks: one protects heart cells from dying, one triggers the growth of new blood vessels, and a final dose reduces scarring. In rats, the patch cut damaged heart tissue in half, increased survival by one-third and improved cardiac output far more than conventional drug injections. Designed to dissolve safely in the body over time, it could one day be implanted during bypass surgery. It may ultimately be adapted for stents, offering a new pathway to help millions of heart attack patients recover stronger hearts.
