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If you said about your doctor, you have high cholesterol levels , you are not alone: according to the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), almost two out of five adults In the United States, have too much cholesterol. There are no symptoms that would indicate high levels - large cholesterol requires a blood test to detect, but having more fatty deposits in your blood vessels can increase your risk of cardiac disease , the main cause of death in the United States, according to Mayo Clinic. For this reason, cholesterol is something you want to take in control, doctors often recommend changes in lifestyle and / or drugs. However, researchers at the University of New Mexico (UNM) can have a new option: a vaccine.

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According to a December 14 Press release UNM's health, the researchers have developed a new vaccine that can lower low density lipoproteins (LDL) - "bad" AKA cholesterol - which creates plates that make blood blood difficult in your arteries. According to the results of a Treatment study Posted in September in NPJ vaccines , animals that received the vaccine had a 30% reduction in cholesterol levels. The vaccine has not yet been studied in humans.

In the press release, the researchers said that the vaccine could be a "change of game" in the world of cholesterol treatment, offering a cheap treatment option which is almost as effective as PCSK9 inhibitors, which can be expensive. (According to the Cleveland Clinic, two PCSK9 injections are approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States: Alirocumab and Evolocumab, better known by the respective, Praluent and Repatha brand names.)

"We are interested in trying to develop another approach that would be less expensive and more widely applicable, not only in the United States, but also in places that do not have the resources necessary to afford these very, very expensive therapies" , " Bryce Chackérien , PHD, the leader of the study and the professor of Regents in the Molecular Genetics and Microbiology department of UNM, said the vaccine in the press release.

Although they are expensive, PCSK9 inhibitors, which are a new class of drugs, can be "vital", lowering LDL cholesterol and risks of heart attack, stroke and death, death, Abinash ACCHAR , MD, MPH, cardiologist and vice-president and professor in the UNM internal medicine department, explained in the press release.

The shots target the PCSK9 protein, a molecule made in the liver which "negatively regulates the metabolism of LDL cholesterol" as the blood circulation progresses. The more your body makes this protein, the higher your LDL cholesterol, added Acoukar.

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Now the vaccine takes the same approach and targets the PCSK9 protein, causing positive effects comparable to a lower price. To do this, Chackerian attached a small piece of the PCSK9 protein on the surface of a non -infectious viral particle.

"The vaccine is based on a non -infectious viral particle," said Chackerian. "It's just the shell of a virus, and it turns out that we can use this shell of a virus to develop vaccines against all kinds of different things."

When the vaccine enters the body, it invites a "very strong antibody response" against the PCSK9 protein, said Chackerian. Vaccinal treatment has been tested on mice and monkeys in the past 10 years "with promising results," he added.

Researchers are now working on the guarantee of manufacturing for manufacturing and human clinical trials. Once the vaccine is available for humans - which, according to Chackerian, could be possible for the next 10 years - researchers estimate that it will cost less than $ 100 per dose thanks to "simple and relatively inexpensive bacteria" used to do it. In addition, Chackerian noted that each dose will be effective for almost a full year.

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