Developing platelet-derived nanoparticles for targeted thrombolysis

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and major morbidity worldwide. Despite this, the current thrombolytic (clot busting) therapies remain largely ineffective and many patients are resistant to therapy. There is a need for improved thrombolytic drugs and strategies for overcoming thrombolysis resistance. One strategy for improving the efficacy of drug treatment is using targeted drug delivery to deliver high local concentrations of thrombolytic drugs to the thrombus. To achieve this, we are proposing using platelet-derived nanoparticles loaded with thrombolytic drugs to achieve targeted thrombolysis. The main aims of this project are to: • Generate and characterise platelet-derived nanoparticles. • Drug loading of platelet derived nanoparticles. • Assess the potential of drug-loaded nanoparticles as a targeted thrombolytic therapy. Technologies/disease models to learn/apply: Isolation of platelets from human blood, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, generating ex vivo human thrombi.