The experimental jab that can cut ‘bad’ cholesterol levels by 52 per cent

• A single dose of an experimental jab reduced “bad” cholesterol levels by 52 per cent within six months in a small Chinese gene-editing trial.
• Tested by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the therapy is being developed for the treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia, a life-threatening hereditary disease that causes abnormally high levels of fats in the blood.
• Scientists modified a bacterial enzyme to target human DNA , particularly the PCSK9 gene in liver cells, to weaken its cholesterol production ability.
• Three patients receiving the highest dose experienced a 74 per cent drop in PCSK9 enzyme activity and a 52 per cent decrease in “bad” cholesterol levels within six months of starting treatment.
• Some participants said they experienced mild side effects like fever and muscle aches, which resolved within 24 hours, and no other adverse events were reported.

IN FULL

Scientists develop single jab to cut ‘bad’ cholesterol levels by half