mRNA lipid nanoparticles to help heart attack patients grow healthier blood vessels
Official title: mRNA lipid nanoparticles for myocardial infarction
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11450514 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A heart-attack study tests a new treatment that uses messenger RNA delivery with tiny fat bubbles to promote normal blood vessel growth in damaged heart tissue.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $632,081 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL183505-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11450514 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who have recently experienced a myocardial infarction and have risk factors for poor healing may be eligible for related trials or future participation.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without recent MI or those with contraindications to RNA therapies may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
This grant explores using mRNA lipid nanoparticles to encourage new, healthy blood vessels after a heart attack, aiming to improve healing and heart function. The approach focuses on balancing VEGF-A to form proper vessels while avoiding leaky ones, and it also considers PDGFRβ pathways to strengthen vessel stability and reduce scarring. Researchers plan to deliver targeted siRNA to inhibit PDGFRβ in the heart, pursuing safer, more effective repair in the ischemic environment. The project involves a translational path from concept toward potential human studies, with attention to how these therapies interact with platelets and inflammation after MI.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve heart repair after a heart attack by promoting stable blood vessel growth and reducing damaging scarring.
How similar studies have gone: Early efforts in vascular growth factors show promise but require careful control to avoid abnormal vessels, making this approach innovative yet buildable on prior work.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mitchell, Michael J — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Mitchell, Michael J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Anti-inflammatory signaling of a key protein in heart attack recovery
A study in people who have had a heart attack is exploring how a macrophage protein called Tristetraprolin may reduce inflammation and help protect heart tissue.
-
Targeting RIPK3 to reduce heart damage after a heart attack
This grant studies a specific cell-death pathway (RIPK3) to protect the heart after a heart attack, with the goal of reducing damage and improving recovery.
-
Targeted nanotherapy to calm inflammation, grow new blood vessels, and prevent scarring after a heart attack
A new treatment approach uses engineered secretions from immune cells delivered early after a heart attack to reduce inflammation, promote blood vessel growth, and limit scarring to protect heart function.
-
Why heart attacks and strokes affect people differently across places and races
This project follows adults across the U.S. to see how lifelong social and neighborhood factors shape heart attacks, heart failure, and recovery, with attention to Black adults and regions with high disease rates.
-
Real-time multi-lead ECG from wearables to help detect heart attacks early
A new AI-based approach uses everyday wearable sensors to turn simple PPG signals into multi-lead ECG data to monitor for heart attacks in real time, even outside the clinic.
-
Extreme heat and heart attack risk: who is most at risk and why
High heat and air pollution may raise the risk of heart attacks, and this project looks at who is most affected.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.