A vaccine jab to immunise people against high levels of cholesterol and the narrowing of arteries may soon be possible, according to a study published on 20th June, 2017 (Tuesday). The research was carried out in mice. The vaccine, called AT04A, induces antibodies against a target protein that is produced by the body, the researchers said. The researchers injected AT04A under the skin in mice that were fed fatty, Western-style cholesterol and the development of atherosclerosis, a disease of the arteries characterised by the deposition of fatty material on their inner walls. The study published in the 'European Heart Journal', found that the vaccine reduced the total amount of cholesterol by 53 percent. It also shrank atherosclerotic damage to blood vessels by 64 percent, and reduced biological markers of blood vessel inflammation by 21-28 percent, compared to unvaccinated mice.
"AT04A was able to induce antibodies that specifically targeted the enzyme PCSK9 throughout the study period in the circulation of the treated mice", said Gunther Staffler, Chief Technology Officer at AFFIRIS, the biotech company that developed the vaccine. "As a consequence, levels of cholesterol were reduced in a consistent and long-lasting way, resulting in a reduction of fatty deposits in the arteries and atherosclerotic damage, as well as reduced arterial wall inflammation", Staffler added.
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