Monday April 19, 8:05 pm Eastern Time
Vaccine may work against heart disease - company
WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - A vaccine that raises levels of so-called ''good''
cholesterol in rabbits may work to prevent heart disease, researchers said on Monday.
Scientists at Avant Immunotherapeutics, Inc. (AVAN - news) said their vaccine raised
high-density lipoprotein (HDL or ''good'' cholesterol) by 35 percent in rabbits, and reduced
the number of artery-blocking plaques by 40 percent.
''We are very pleased with these results, which clearly demonstrate the feasibility of our vaccine approach as a novel strategy
for preventing or treating atherosclerosis,'' Una Ryan, president and chief executive officer of the Needham,
Massachusetts-based company, said in a statement.
''As a result, we are preparing to initiate human clinical safety studies with the vaccine this summer.''
Atherosclerosis is a form of arteriosclerosis, an abnormal thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of the arteries. It often
accompanies old age.
Avant's Lawrence Thomas told a meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in
Washington that the vaccine produces antibodies that block the activity of a compound known as cholesteryl ester transfer
protein (CETP).
CETP affects the movement of cholesterol from the HDL form, in which it is carried away from arteries, to the low density
lipoprotein (LDL or ''bad'' cholesterol) version, in which it is deposited in arteries.
High levels of LDL are a big risk factor for atherosclerosis and heart disease. People with higher levels of HDL have a lower
risk.
Thomas's team used rabbits fed high-fat diets. Many heart disease researchers use such rabbits, as they very easily develop the
blockages associated with heart disease. But animal findings do not always carry over into humans.
More Quotes and News:
Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc (Nasdaq:AVAN - news)
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