Jacksonville Cardiologist and JCCR Founder, Dr. Michael Koren M.D., published as first author an article in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine about a new, first-in-class Lp(a) lowering therapy called Olpasiran.  Lp(a) is the lipoprotein that includes an LDL particle and the apolipoprotein a (protein portion that surrounds the LDL molecule) called LPA.  Olpasiran prevents the LPA gene from forming apolipoprotein a; therefore, Lp(a) is not made.

Lipoprotein a, Lp(a), is an independent risk for cardiovascular disease.  It is associated with a higher risk of heart attack or stroke and is pro-inflammatory. There are currently no pharmacotherapies directly targeting Lp(a) available for clinical use.

Still confused? Go to https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01634-w for more details on this exciting breakthrough.

(Images from FH Foundation)