Omid Farokhzad

Equity Interest - Non-publicly traded entity ( e.g., stock, stock option, or other ownership interest)

Enhancing Inflammation Resolution in Atherosclerosis via Targeted Nanoparticle-Mediated Delivery of Biologics

Heart disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed nations with an enormous societal and economic burden, and dangerous atherosclerosis plaques can develop due to a maladaptive chronic inflammatory response, which ultimately leads to blood clot formation and death in the form of heart attacks. In view of the fact that only certain types of atherosclerotic lesions reach this advanced stage of clinical relevance, the overall objective of this proposal is to understand the processes that influence the formation of these dangerous atherosclerotic lesions-and to do so in a manner that has tremendous therapeutic potential. In this context, we will study the mechanisms of a fundamental protective process that goes awry in atherosclerosis-called inflammation resolution-and we will try to enhance this protective process in an effective and safe manner by using tiny delivery systems, called nanoparticles, that deliver the resolution- promoting drugs directly to the atherosclerotic plaque in a controlled manner and can dampen this out of control inflammation process to a greater extent than the body's natural defenses can manage