Nanoscale engineering of LDL-retentive substrates

Atherosclerosis, the hardening of arteries due to build-up of lipoproteins, is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Conventional therapies as well as purely pharmacological treatments have not been consistently effective and can entail severe side effects. Encouraging preliminary results from a novel approach have shown that design of nanocarriers with varying surface charge and geometry can lead to effective sequestration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) before it gets extensively oxidized and subsequent controlled LDL presentation to macrophages for enhanced uptake and clearance from the intima.