Atherosclerosis

Heart disease kills approximately 30% of the population and atherosclerotic plaques are the root cause of the majority of cardiovascular disease. These plaques can be found in children as young as five years old and can eventually build and block the arteries. When the plaques eventually break loose they can cause catastrophic heart attacks and strokes. Current treatment are often Statins which can have side effects including: headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain, weakness, and nausea. Memory loss and confusion have also been reported with statin use.

We are investigating the potential of our gene therapy to mitigate arterial plaque based on various promising animal studies such as this and also some anecdotal human data. It is our hope to replicate the results seen in animal studies to provide a solution to build up of arterial plaque.

More recently telomerase has also been suggested as a possible solution to mitigate and remove plaques, this paper here suggests this is also a potential approach.