Preventing cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in Canada and high cholesterol is a major risk factor. Drs. Michel Chrétien, Ajoy Basak, Majambu Mbikay and Janice Mayne are doing pioneering research on a gene that may hold the key to lowering cholesterol. Called PCSK9, the gene is a member of a family of enzymes called proprotein convertases, which were co-discovered by Dr. Chrétien in the 1990s. Research has shown that many people have mutations in the PCSK9 gene, and depending on the mutation, these people may have either very low or very high cholesterol. The group has developed a number of small molecules and peptides that can inhibit the function of PCSK9 in cell culture. They may eventually be tested as new cholesterol lowering drugs in humans. This work was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and published in FEBS Journal, BBRC and Lipids in Health and Disease.