Today's Science: Cheng Ke's team brings new methods of antibody drug targeting damaged heart

A study from the University of North Carolina and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, reported a new type of platelet particle that can target anti-inflammatory drugs to the ischemic heart The study is currently published in the form of a cover article in the journal science advances Professor Cheng Ke is the corresponding author of this paper, and Dr Li Zhenhua, a postdoctoral researcher, is the first author of this paper Https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/6/eaay0589 cardiovascular disease is believed to be closely related to inflammation, and interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β) is a key molecule in the inflammatory signaling pathway The protein can induce inflammatory reaction, promote the formation of scar tissue and worsen cardiac function over time At present, the antibody drugs developed for IL-1 β (such as canakinumab, trade name ilaris) have completed phase III clinical trials Clinical studies have shown that canakinumab can significantly reduce the incidence of major cardiovascular adverse events in some patients with myocardial infarction, providing strong evidence support for anti-inflammatory cardiovascular disease treatment "Although IL-1 β plays a negative role in this process, it is also one of the body's defense mechanisms against external pathogens It destroys intruders by causing inflammation " Professor Cheng Ke, distinguished professor of regenerative medicine, Randall B Terry Jr of North Carolina State University and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina / Chapel Hill, said "Therefore, this way of intravenous administration around the body will not hinder the function of IL-1 β in the whole body, and may bring some side effects So we hope to develop a way to target the drug to the heart, so as to reduce the whole body response " Platelets (tiny blood cells that promote blood clotting) with a natural "homing" ability can target heart damage The previous work of Professor Cheng Ke's research group has proved that platelet membrane modified stem cells and nanoparticles have the ability to target the damaged heart (see the report of Professor Cheng Ke's interview and related work in biological exploration for details) in this latest study, the research team prepared platelet microparticles, inserted IL-1 β blocking antibody on its surface, and constructed this new kind of myocardial infarction targeted anti-inflammatory drug It was found that the distribution of drugs in the heart of mice treated with targeted drugs was about 10 times higher than that of mice not treated with targeted drugs After 70 days, the cardiac function of the mice treated with targeted drugs recovered better Anti IL-1 β monoclonal antibody modified platelet microparticles are used for heart targeted anti-inflammatory and repair "Platelets can effectively transport drugs directly to the damaged organs, making the target organs have higher drug concentration." Professor Cheng Ke said This new damage specific antibody targeting drug can potentially achieve the accurate and effective delivery of drugs to target organs, and provide a new strategy for the precise anti-inflammatory treatment of cardiovascular diseases Jeni turtle