Rapid therapy of severe bleeding due to injuries is often vital for a patient’s recovery. Especially in cases of internal bleeding, immediate and minimally invasive treatment is desirable. Cell-inspired nano-particles may offer a solution to this challenge in clinical medicine.

Samir Mitragotri, Center for Bioengineering University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, and collegues have designed platelet-like nanoparticles (PLNs) that could potentially function as „injectable bandage“. PLNs mimic natural platelets by biophysical and biochemical properties, such as their discoidal shape and surficial peptides that enable them to interact with both natural platelets and injured endothelial sites. Experiments in vitro using wound models as well as in vivo in mice demonstrated the ability of PLNs to accumulate at the wound site and enhance the natural coagulation process significantly.
Apart from improving coagulation, PLNs could also offer new therapeutic approaches for arterial occlusive diseases such as thrombosis or atherosclerosis by targeted delivery of fibrinolytic agents to inhibit pathologic coagulation.

• Platelet-like Nanoparticles: Mimicking Shape, Flexibility, and Surface Biology of Platelets To Target Vascular Injuries,
  Aaron C. Anselmo, Christa Lynn Modery-Pawlowski, Stefano Menegatti, Sunny Kumar, Douglas R. Vogus, Lewis L. Tian, Ming Chen, Todd M. Squires, Anirban Sen Gupta, Samir Mitragotri
  ACS Nano 2014.
  DOI: 10.1021/nn503732m