New vaccine could prevent high cholesterol

Vaccine is cheaper and appears to be more effective than alternative treatments

“A new cholesterol-lowering vaccine leads to reductions in 'bad' LDL cholesterol in mice and macaques, according to research published in Vaccine. The authors of the study, from the University of New Mexico and the National Institutes of health in the United States, say the vaccine has the potential to be a more powerful treatment than statins alone.

The new vaccine targets a protein called PCSK9, which regulates the cholesterol in the blood. The protein works by encouraging the body to break down receptors that cholesterol binds to when it's flushed out of the body. People who have a mutation in the protein often suffer from increased risk of heart disease, and people who do not produce the protein have a decreased risk. By targeting this protein, the vaccine can stop it from functioning, lowering the amount of cholesterol in the blood.”

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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/302412.php?tw