Medical advancements target cholesterol and arterial plaque

New research and technological developments are targeting the prevention and identification of cardiovascular disease. A study from Mass General Brigham, presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session, suggests that the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab may prevent first-time heart attacks in high-risk patients with diabetes. Unlike statins, which reduce cholesterol production in the liver, evolocumab is an injectable medicine that helps the liver remove more LDL cholesterol from the bloodstream.

In a separate development, researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering are working on a stretchable catheter designed to identify unstable arterial plaque. Led by Hangbo Zhao, the project received a National Institutes of Health Trailblazer Award. The device uses multilayered stretchable liquid metal electronics and electrical impedance mapping to provide physicians with data on plaque composition and metabolic activity that conventional imaging may miss. The technology aims to conform to the soft, moving environment of blood vessels to better distinguish dangerous deposits from stable ones.