Effectiveness of Nanotechnology in Cardiovascular Disease Research

This research proposal investigates the effectiveness of nanotechnology in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The introduction highlights the rising prevalence of cardiovascular complications and the potential of nanotechnology as an innovative intervention. The proposal outlines the rationale for the research, emphasizing the limitations of traditional interventions and the need for new approaches. The methodology includes a quantitative, retrospective, cross-sectional research design using surveys of health professionals and data analysis to assess the impact of nanotechnology on mortality rates and quality of life. The study aims to explore current trends, opinions, and standards among health professionals, as well as to develop training frameworks and standards for the safe and effective use of nanomedicine in treating cardiovascular diseases. References to relevant literature support the proposal's foundation and methodology.

Research Proposal: EFFECTIVENESS OF
NANOTECHNOLOGY IN THE PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS
AND TREATMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

Introduction
• Approximately 17.6 million succumbed to
cardiovascular complications in 2016.
• Risk factors include with factors like obesity,
substance abuse, inactivity and inadequate diet
(World Health Organization, 2019).
• Despite traditional therapeutic interventions
cardiovascular diseases are still on the rise and
are associated with long term complications in
terms of daily life functionality and overall
health outcomes (Cooke & Atkins, 2016).

What is Nanotechnology?
• Nanotechnology can be defined as a novel and
innovative field of molecular science that
comprises of usage and manipulation of
substances and equipment at the nano scale
(Kuzmov & Minko, 2015).
• A major application for which nanoparticle
usage is considered to be exclusively effective
is the targeted delivery of drugs via both active
as well as passive method, for the purpose of
disease treatment (Cooke & Atkins, 2016).

Figure 1: Usage of nanoparticles for treatment of ischemia induced cardiac injuries: A: Passive and active
drug delivery targeting using enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and nanoparticles with
targeting moieties, B: Distribution of nanoparticles in biological systems to understand their fat when
administered in-vivo. (Source: Prajnamitra, R. P., Chen, H. C., Lin, C. J., Chen, L. L., & Hsieh, P. C. H. (2019).
Nanotechnology Approaches in Tackling Cardiovascular Diseases. Molecules, 24(10), 2017.

Table 1: Summary of nanotechnology
applications in cardiovascular disease
Class Application
Liposome Thrombosis,
Atherosclerosis,
Vasodilation, Cardio-
protectant
Polymeric Nanoparticle Thrombosis,
Atherosclerosis, Cardio-
protectant
Polymeric micelle Thrombosis,
Atherosclerosis,
Vasodilation, Cardio-
protectant
Dendrimer Thrombosis,

Research Motives
• To explore the current trends and
opinions among health professionals on
the effectiveness of.
• To explore the effectiveness of
nanotechnology in improving the quality
of life in cardiac patients.
• To explore the effectiveness of
nanotechnology in improving the
mortality rate of cardiac patients.

Proposed Hypothesis
Nanotechnology is an effective
cardiovascular intervention in terms
of improvement of patient’s health
outcomes, mortality of life and overall
quality of life as compared to
traditional interventions such as oral
medications or invasive heart
surgeries.

Rationale: Need for new Interventions
• Despite growing engagement in physical
inactivity and consumption of an unhealthy
diet are continuing to rise (Karimi et al., 2016).
• Common pharmacological interventions have
been implicated to yield adverse health
consequences (Berwanger et al., 2015).
• Open heart surgeries cause long term
complications (Jafri et al., 2017).

Rationale: Limited Evidence
• There is currently limited evidence on the
effectiveness of nanotechnology in
disease treatment.
• There also remains a dearth of research
on recommended standards based upon
which treatment can be provided to
cardiovascular patients (Lakshmanan &
Maulik, 2018).

Methodology: Research Design
• A quantitative, retrospective, cross
sectional research design will be used.
• A survey will be conducted to explore the
views, opinions and standards followed by
health professionals on the usage of
nanotechnology.
• Additional data on the mortality rate and
quality of life of cardiovascular disease
patients will be collected.

Methodology: Data
Collection
• For obtaining information on the
responses of the chosen health
professionals, a survey will be conducted.
• To explore the impact of nanotechnology
on health outcomes in cardiovascular
patients, the mortality rates and quality of
life of cardiovascular patients using
patient records and the Minnesota Living
with Heart Failure Questionnaire.

Methodology: Data Analysis
• The data so obtained will be tested
against the proposed hypothesis.
• Microsoft Excel will be used to collate and
tabulate the data followed by usage of
student’s t-test and ANNOVA to explore
any statistically significant differences in
the mortality rates and quality of life
scores.