Translational Nanomedicine and Delivery Tools for Cardiovascular Disease Therapy and Diagnostics

Cardiovascular diseases are widespread causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Nanomedicine is at the scale of biomolecular interfaces, the same scale as the development of plaques, thrombi, or misfolded proteins. A variety of nanomaterials, polymeric delivery tools, and engineered biologics have been developed to target and detect or treat the molecular causes of disease at the cellular level. In some cases, these nanostructures have been engineered to bypass immune recognition and deliver therapeutic cargoes. Targeted nanomaterial transport is also assistive technology for diagnostic imaging in cardiovascular disease. Selective localization of contrast agents for ultrasound, magnetic resonance, X-Ray, and optical imaging strategies enables disease-focused contrast. Continued nanomedicine research aims to produce highly specified and highly effective treatments for cardiovascular diseases, alongside enhancing point-of-care diagnostics. As these two sides of medicine progress, therapeutics and diagnostics meet at the nanoscale to create multifunctional image-enhancing and image-enhanced therapeutic tools against cardiovascular disease.