British scientists have created a “smart” injection to lower cholesterol
The United Kingdom's National Health Service has approved a new technology to lower cholesterol levels. In the coming years, up to 300 thousand people will be able to use it, reports The Conversation.
The injection will be given twice a year. It will be prescribed to patients with genetic diseases that cause high cholesterol levels, patients after heart attacks and strokes, and those who do not respond well to existing medications (statins).
The drug triggers a reaction in the body known as “gene silencing”. This is a new technology that aims to eliminate the root cause of the disease, not its symptoms. It affects a specific gene and prevents it from making protein.
Until now, this approach has been used to treat rare genetic diseases. The new drug will be one of the first available for widespread use.
Scientists said that the drug Incliziran acts on the PCSK9 protein, destroying it. This protein is involved in the regulation of cholesterol levels in the body. People with excess “bad” cholesterol have elevated levels of PCSK9.
The drug's developers have created a synthetic version of a special type of RNA – siRNA, or small interfering RNAs. They interfere with the mRNA (messenger RNA) in the patient's body, disrupting the instructions for making the protein. As a result, its level drops noticeably.
The scientists emphasized that siRNA was modified in the laboratory to avoid degradation in the blood. In addition, a sugar molecule was attached to it so that it could target liver cells.
Researchers are also investigating whether gene-suppression techniques could be useful in treating neurological and brain diseases such as Huntington's and Alzheimer's. Scientists have previously tested a new drug for Alzheimer's disease. It could defeat persistent bacteria.
