For more than a hundred years, heart attacks have been the top cause of death in the United States. These deadly events are often caused by blood clots that block blood flow to the heart.
Most current treatments try to dissolve the clots after they’ve already formed. But scientists at Georgia Tech have found something different—a way to stop clots before they even begin. Even better, they’re using a cheap and widely available drug already found in most hospitals.
The drug is called N-acetyl cysteine, or NAC for short. It’s not a new medicine. Doctors have been using it for years to help patients who overdose on acetaminophen, a common pain reliever better known as Tylenol. But researchers now believe NAC can do something much more powerful—it might prevent dangerous blood clots from forming at all.
Blood clots are clumps of blood that form when platelets, tiny cell fragments in the blood, stick together. These clots can block blood flow and lead to heart attacks, strokes, or sudden death.
Usually, this clotting is caused by a special protein called von Willebrand factor, or VWF. You can imagine VWF like a tightly wound ball of yarn. When a blood vessel is damaged, the protein unrolls and becomes sticky, catching platelets and forming a clot.
Right now, many blood thinner drugs try to stop the platelets from sticking. But this can be risky. These drugs make it harder for blood to clot, which is dangerous if someone gets injured or has surgery.
As Professor David Ku from Georgia Tech explained, it’s a difficult decision: these medicines might prevent a heart attack, but they could also cause serious bleeding.
So Ku and his team looked at the problem from a new angle. Instead of trying to stop the platelets, they focused on stopping VWF from becoming sticky in the first place. They discovered that NAC can break the chemical links that make VWF unfold and trap platelets. If NAC keeps VWF from getting sticky, then clots don’t form at all.
To test this idea, the researchers used a special machine that mimics how blood moves through narrowed or damaged arteries—the kind where clots often form. NAC completely prevented clotting in this test.
They also tried it in mice and saw the same result. Even more exciting, the effects of NAC lasted six hours, even after the drug had already left the bloodstream.
This could change how doctors treat people at risk of heart attacks or strokes. Today, these patients are usually given strong drugs to thin the blood, even though the bleeding risks are high.
But with NAC, doctors might be able to prevent clots safely and cheaply. A simple shot of NAC could protect patients in emergency rooms, or maybe even a daily pill could keep blood vessels clear in the future.
Because NAC is already used in hospitals and has a strong safety record, it could be approved for this new use more quickly than brand-new drugs. Researchers are hoping to start human trials soon, and they’re working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make that happen.
If successful, this simple drug could help millions of people avoid heart attacks and strokes. It could save lives without the risks of current treatments. For now, NAC offers a powerful possibility—stopping deadly clots before they even start.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and Vitamin C linked to lower risk of heart failure.
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