An injection may one day be able to reverse atherosclerosis, according to emerging research presented at the American Heart Association’s Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine Scientific Sessions 2018, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in vascular biology for researchers and clinicians.

Atherosclerosis is characterized by a narrowing of arteries and blood vessels caused by a build-up of a hard, waxy substance called plaque, which is rich in cholesterol.

Drugs such as statins are used to control low density lipoprotein (LDL) the so-called bad cholesterol and thus decrease “plaque burden”, explained Neel A. Mansukhani, M.D. lead author of the study and an integrated vascular surgery fellow at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “But statins have not been proven to reverse the disease.” Mansukhani said.

Other treatment approaches for atherosclerosis, which can narrow blood vessels and arteries throughout the body, include bypass surgery and stenting, but neither reverses the disease and each can cause damage to the vessel wall, he said… Continue reading.