Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-Targeted MS2 Viral Capsids for the Detection of Early-Stage Atherosclerotic Plaques

Atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular disease characterized by the formation of lipid-rich plaques within the walls of large arteries. Over time, a portion of these lesions can detach and lead to serious complications, such as strokes or heart attacks. Currently, there is no clinically effective way to detect the presence of atherosclerosis in patients until it has reached a relatively advanced stage. Furthermore, increasing evidence suggests that the pathobiological behavior of plaques is determined mainly by their composition, and not their size, which is the parameter usually monitored with current imaging techniques. In this work, we report protein-based agents that target the vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM1), a protein that plays a crucial role in atherosclerosis progression. In vivo experiments with murine atherosclerosis models indicated that the targeted protein nanoparticles were successful in detecting plaques of various sizes in the descending aorta and the aortic arch. This finding encourages the further development of these nanoscale agents for applications in the imaging, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.