He says there is another one called Inclisiran, approved by the FDA, which uses a segment of our DNA to block the gene that produces PCSK9. The treatment is currently expensive Stuart says and works for about one month, before another injection is needed. “You can have an injection that knocks out the PCSK9 and knocks it down to a lower level,” he says. He says there are now drugs already available in New Zealand that use a monoclonal antibody to bind to the PCSK9 and stop it working properly. So, that was the start of the journey and along the way they targeted this particular protein." “So, these people who had this genetic abnormality worked perfectly well in every other respect and they didn’t get any heart disease and low cholesterol. So, it actually turns out if you don’t have this protein PCSK9 you’re much better off and it doesn’t seem to have any harm otherwise. Then HDL cholesterol goes very high in the body. “Essentially what it does is destroy the cholesterol receptors, so they don’t work so well. They were trying to identify why, and the genetic analysis identified the protein. “This protein was actually identified from genetic studies where they were looking at families who had incredibly low cholesterol levels in the blood and didn’t get any heart disease. “The new technology targets a protein called PCSK9, which is in the liver,” Stuart says.
Low density lipoprotein trial#
The trial follows studies that identified why some unique people simply don’t get high cholesterol. Now, with an injection, medical science may radically address the danger at a genetic level. The narrowing blocks blood flow to and from the heart and other organs. This buildup is called “plaque.” As your blood vessels build up plaque over time, the insides of the vessels narrow. When your body has too much LDL, cholesterol can build up on the walls of your blood vessels. High-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, absorbs cholesterol and carries it back to the liver. High levels of LDL raise your risk for heart disease and stroke. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, makes up most of your body’s cholesterol. Two types of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout the body: Dr Ralph Stuart, The Heart Group and Auckland City Hospital cardiologist, tells Jesse Mulligan it is an exciting development, potentially offering a life-long protection from high cholesterol.Ĭholesterol travels through the blood on proteins called lipoproteins. The trial is being hailed as revolutionary. The experiment, part of a clinical trial by the US biotechnology company Verve Therapeutics, involved injecting a version of the gene-editing tool CRISPR in order to modify a single letter of DNA in the patient’s liver cells. In New Zealand just a few weeks ago, a person was injected with new gene-editing material designed to modify the DNA which produces bad cholesterol – a world first in medicine. But there is new hope with recent medical advances. High cholesterol causes heart disease, the leading cause of premature death in New Zealand today.įor those battling with high cholesterol, many have been prescribed life-long, daily medication, which still doesn’t guarantee low-enough cholesterol levels to avoid the disease.