Gene Shows Promise in Reducing Risk of Heart Diseases

Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have been studying a plaque-fighting gene for the past 18 years. Lab mice, bred to model clogged arteries, were recently injected with the gene. The results, as announced by Cedars-Sinai, showed that the transfer helped reduce and stabilize plaque formation, as well as decreased inflammation- two main factors in reducing the risk of heart diseases.

The apolipoprotein A-I Milano gene was discovered in 1992 in a small number of Italians, and has been studied by P.K. Shah, M.D., the director of the Division of Cardiology and the Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center, ever since. He and his co-workers presented their findings in a presentation titled “Favorable Modulation of Atherosclerosis and Monocyte Phenotype by Intravenous AAV 8 Mediated Apo A-I Milano Gene Transfer in Mice”.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where Adam Roseman is a member of the board, is an organization which works to provide high quality healthcare as well as to conduct state-of-the-art medical research.