ALBUQUERQUE: Scientists in the US are trying to develop a vaccine that could reduce high cholesterol level minimizing the risk of diseases like heart and stroke in ten years, Western media reported on Wednesday.
Researchers at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM) found that a shot lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol by nearly 30 percent in mice and monkeys.
The vaccine works by blocking the cholesterol-raising protein PCSK9 and would be given once in year if it is available in the market. The researchers also predict that its cost would be less than $100 per dose.
High Cholesterol is a key risk factor in heart disease, which kills almost 18 million people worldwide every year.
Dr Bryce Chackerian, lead researcher and Regents’ Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology at UNM, said the vaccine would have a global impact. He said the vaccine would be available to people in the next 10 years.
According to experts, high cholesterol occurs when too many fatty deposits called lipids found in the blood. This makes difficult for blood to flow through the arteries and travel to vital organs like the heart and the brain.
The condition causes the heart to work harder, leading to heart attack and heart disease.
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Smoking, consuming greasy foods, drinking, and lack of exercise can all raise LDL cholesterol in adult humans.
The vaccine targets the protein PCSK9, that is made in the liver and runs through the bloodstream and raises LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Dr Chackerian said that during tests it is noted that the vaccine reduced LDL cholesterol by up to 30 percent in monkeys and mice. After 10 years of testing on animals, the researchers are now looking to fund human trials of the vaccine.
