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Dec 19, 2023

The future of heart health: Researchers develop vaccine to lower cholesterol

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, health

Nearly two in five U.S. adults have high cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Untreated, high cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke, which are two of the top causes of death in the U.S. Worldwide; cardiovascular diseases claim nearly 18 million lives every year, according to the World Health Organization.

A new vaccine developed by researchers at The University of New Mexico School of Medicine could be a game-changer, providing an inexpensive method to lower “bad” LDL , which creates dangerous plaques that can block blood vessels.

In a recent study published in npj Vaccines, a team led by Bryce Chackerian, Ph.D., Regents’ Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, reported the vaccines lowered LDL cholesterol almost as effectively as an expensive class of drugs known as PCSK9 inhibitors.

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