Targeting sepsis, the leading cause of ICU deaths, with a nanocarrier-delivered microRNA

One obstacle to therapeutic use of microRNAs (miRNA), which are in clinical trial for a number of diseases, are ribonucleases, whose job it is to destroy them. Medical University of South Carolina researchers report in Inflammation that an miRNA (miR-126) protective against sepsis can be delivered effectively via a nanocarrier. Almost 67 percent of mice treated with one of the nanocarrier/miR-126 complexes were still alive at seven days vs. just 25 percent of controls.