Nanobac Announces European Heart Journal Publication of Association
Between Calcifying Nanoparticles and Aortic Stenosis

Last update: 10:59 a.m. EST Jan. 22, 2008

TAMPA, Fla., Jan 22, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nanobac Pharmaceuticals
Inc. ("Nanobac" or "the Company") announces the multicenter
publication of independent research which reports an association
between calcifying nanoparticles (CNPs) and aortic stenosis. Aortic
stenosis represents the most frequent cause of heart valve replacement
(Bratos-Perez et al, European Heart Journal Advance Access, doi:
10.1093/eurheartj/ehm592).

The authors contend: "For the first time, this study shows that CNP
could be causally related to aortic stenosis in humans. We suggest
that CNPs colonize the aortic valve, provoking an inflammatory
response, resulting in valve calcification via two distinct
mechanisms: directly given their capacity to precipitate calcium in
the shape of apatite crystals, at physiological calcium and phosphate
concentrations, and indirectly by activating the inflammatory
pathways."

"Although the finding of nanoparticles in such a significant number of
patients with calcific aortic stenosis does not establish that such
particles influence this condition, the question of such influence now
`begs' to be answered," said Richard A Berger MD.FACC., Asst Professor
of Cardiology University of Miami Medical School.

Diagnosis for the presence of CNPs in these patients may be of help in
learning more about this frequently fatal disease. Aortic valve
stenosis affects 2-8% of adults over the age of 65, and is the number
one indication for surgical valve replacement in the US and Europe.
Nanobac has developed proprietary diagnostics to identify patients
that could benefit from therapy for preventing the advance of this
disease to stages needing surgery. Valve replacement surgery is
currently the only curative treatment, but it is limited to patients
of younger age, better health and has the limitation of the need for
anticoagulant therapy not suitable for all patients. Nanobac also has
therapies that treat CNPs, and could eliminate the need for surgery.
Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc. is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For
more information, visit our website at: http://www.nanobac.com.

SOURCE: Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tampa
Brady Millican, 813-264-2241
or
Redwood Consultants
Jens Dalsgaard, 415-884-0348

European Heart Journal Advance Access published online on January 12,
2008
European Heart Journal, doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehm592

Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights
reserved. (c) The Author 2008. For permissions please email:
journals.permissi...@oxfordjournals.org

Association between self-replicating calcifying nanoparticles and
aortic stenosis: a possible link to valve calcification

Miguel A. Bratos-Pérez1, Pedro L. Sánchez2,*, Susana García de Cruz1,
Eduardo Villacorta3, Igor F. Palacios4, José M. Fernández-Fernández1,
Salvatore Di Stefano3, Antonio Orduña-Domingo1, Yolanda Carrascal3,
Pedro Mota3, Cándido Martín-Luengo5, Javier Bermejo2, José A. San
Roman3, Antonio Rodríguez-Torres1, Francisco Fernández-Avilés2 on
behalf of Grupo AORTICA (Grupo de Estudio de la Estenosis Aórtica)

1 Servicio de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Hospital Clínico
Universitario, Valladolid, Spain
2 Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio
Marañón, Doctor Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain
3 Instituto de Ciencias del Corazón (ICICOR), Hospital Clínico
Universitario, Valladolid, Spain
4 Cardiac Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General
Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
5 Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Spain

Received 17 July 2007; revised 2 November 2007; accepted 29 November
2007.

* Corresponding author. Tel: +34 637971999, Fax: +34 915868276, E-
mail: pedrolsanc...@secardiologia.es

Aims: Among various hypotheses proposed for pathological tissue
calcification, recent evidence supports the possibility that self-
replicating calcifying nanoparticles (CNPs) can contribute to such
calcification. These CNPs have been detected and isolated from
calcified human tissues, including blood vessels and kidney stones,
and are referred to as nanobacteria. We evaluated calcific aortic
valves for the presence of CNP.

Methods and results: Calcific aortic valves were obtained from 75
patients undergoing surgical valve replacement. The control group was
formed by eight aortic valves corresponding to patients with heart
transplants. In the microbiology laboratory, valves were screened for
CNP using a 4-6 weeks specific culture method. The culture for CNP was
positive in 48 of the 75 valves with aortic stenosis (64.0%) in
comparison with zero of eight (0%) for the control group (P = 0.0005).
The observation of cultures by way of scanning electron microscopy
highlighted the resemblance in size and morphology of CNP.

Conclusion: Self-replicating calcific nanometer-scale particles,
similar to those described as CNP from other calcific human tissues,
can be cultured and visualized from calcific human aortic valves. This
finding raises the question as to whether CNP contribute to the
pathogenesis of the disease or whether they are only innocent
bystanders.

Key Words: Nanobacteria * Calcifying nanoparticles * Aortic stenosis *
Calcification

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ehm592v1