{"id":153481,"date":"2025-11-25T20:42:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T20:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/153481\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T20:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T20:42:12","slug":"scientists-want-to-snip-your-genes-to-fix-high-cholesterol-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/153481\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Want to Snip Your Genes to Fix High Cholesterol Levels"},"content":{"rendered":"

GETTING A DIAGNOSIS of high cholesterol<\/a> is not fun. It requires a revamp of lifestyle basics like how you eat and making sure you’re taking medications on time. Not to mention the never-ending worry of what would happen if cholesterol levels don’t improve. Because no one wants a future filled with potential stroke and heart attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cue this radical, ingenious method that sounds like something out of The Twilight Zone. <\/p>\n

A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine<\/a> showed that there may be a way to permanently stop cholesterol from ever building up in your body. All it requires is a little snip of your genes. <\/p>\n

Before you write this off as mad science, know there is some legitimacy to this approach. The scientists in the study are using a gene editing technology called CRISPR-Cas 9<\/a>. The tool acts as a molecular scissor where it “cuts” a certain sequence of DNA bases. It then takes advantages of the DNA repair system to replace the existing segment with a customized DNA sequence that could fix the mutation or even turn the gene off. In other words, CRISPR lets you rewrite the genetic code. CRISPR is already in use for treatments of genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Now, there’s still a long way before you can simply roll up to your doctor\u2019s office with high cholesterol and leave with altered genes and a lower cholesterol status. But the technology is already here, and the preliminary results are promising so far. Here\u2019s what you need to know. <\/p>\n

Turning off the Cholesterol Gene<\/p>\n

High cholesterol isn’t just the accumulation of bad food choices<\/a> and late-night drive-thrus. Some people have genes that predispose them to high cholesterol. For this group of people, a good diet and exercise isn’t enough to lower cholesterol levels.<\/p>\n

In 15 adults with uncontrolled high cholesterol, researchers used an experimental CRISPR-Cas9 tool called CTX310. The one-time infusion used fat-based particles to carry the CRISPR editing technology into the liver. The liver is where cholesterol is made in the body (only 20 to 30 percent<\/a> of cholesterol comes from food).<\/p>\n

CTX310 edited a gene called angiopoietin-like protein 3<\/a>. This gene increases cholesterol levels by inhibiting enzymes used to break down fat and has been researched as a promising target for people with hereditary high cholesterol. The tool created a mutation to make the angiopoietin-like protein 3 lose function, thereby theoretically reducing levels of LDL (\u201cbad\u201d) cholesterol in the body, along with triglycerides (a type of fat in the body). <\/p>\n

Did turning off the gene actually work? Follow-ups after the one-step treatment are encouraging. <\/p>\n

Within 2 weeks, people’s LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels dropped and stayed low for at least 60 days. While the researchers originally planned to consider a 30 to 40 percent drop a success, CTX310 reduced LDL cholesterol and triglycerides by nearly 50 percent or more on average at the highest dose.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a permanent change,\u201d says Steven Nissen, MD<\/a>, study co-author and chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. \u201cIt\u2019s a one and done treatment. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so exciting. It allows us to permanently fix a gene.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Treatment is Quick and Painless, Too.<\/p>\n

Nissen stresses that the study was small and that the technology is in its early stages, but he\u2019s optimistic about the early findings.<\/p>\n

To get the treatment, people have an IV infusion. \u201cThat takes anywhere from one to four hours,\u201d Nissen says. After that, they simply go about their life as usual. \u201cThis cuts the gene and disables it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty revolutionary.\u201d The phase 1 clinical trial also showed the drug was relatively safe to take with minor side effects from the infusion process in three individuals. <\/p>\n

Doctors Think Editing Cholesterol Genes is the”Future” <\/p>\n

This treatment is already getting a lot of buzz in the medical community. \u201cThere is incredible potential with this,\u201d says Yu-Ming Ni, MD<\/a>, cardiologist and lipidologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. \u201cIt\u2019s really quite amazing that you can permanently remove this as a risk factor for heart disease in one treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cardiologist and Men’s Health advisory board member Christopher Kelly, MD<\/a>, says this treatment is “approaching magic” for people with high cholesterol. “It\u2019s definitely where the future of medicine is headed.” He adds that gene therapy is helpful in shifting away from taking daily pills.<\/p>\n

From here, CTX310 moves on to a phase 2 clinical trial. That will be larger and involve more participants to better study the effectiveness of the treatment. Kelly is hopeful of promising results once the technique is reviewed and approved for use. “Once the technique is perfected, the side effects will probably be minimal, since specific genes are targeted in very precise ways.”<\/p>\n

Still, even if everything continues to go well, don’t expect your doctor to recommend custom gene therapy<\/a> yet. Because CRISPR-Cas9 changes your DNA, the US Food and Drug Administration recommends long-term safety monitoring. That\u2019s usually 15 years<\/a> for CRISPR-based treatments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis won\u2019t be a treatment for everybody [with high cholesterol] but, for people who are difficult to treat, the concept of a one and done treatment is attractive,\u201d Nissen says. Ni agrees. \u201cThis could be a major game-changer,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men\u2019s Health, Women\u2019s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master\u2019s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GETTING A DIAGNOSIS of high cholesterol is not fun. It requires a revamp of lifestyle basics like how…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153482,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[26312,6956,26743,55,4640,10726,405,134,2862,7479,4195,111,139,69,4371,145],"class_list":{"0":"post-153481","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-cholesterol","9":"tag-crispr","10":"tag-crispr-cas9","11":"tag-dna","12":"tag-gene","13":"tag-gene-editing","14":"tag-genetics","15":"tag-health","16":"tag-heart","17":"tag-heart-attack","18":"tag-heart-health","19":"tag-new-zealand","20":"tag-newzealand","21":"tag-nz","22":"tag-stroke","23":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}