Breaking the fibrinolytic speed limit with microwheel co-delivery of tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen

Magnetic microswarms were composed of microparticles surface-functionalized with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and nanoparticles containing plasminogen, tPA's substrate. A canted rotating magnetic field was used to assemble particles into swarms in situ, then direct their motility to target the site of a model blood clot in vitro. Combined delivery of tPA with its substrate plasminogen enhanced fibrinolysis beyond what was achievable using soluble-phase tPA delivery alone.