It was isolated in separate studies by two sets of scientists in Germany and one in Canada. Their results appear in the August issue of Nature Genetics. A group headed by Michael Hayden of the University of British Columbia, lead author of one of the studies, determined that ABC1 is responsible for making a protein essential to both HDL formation and the process of unloading fats from cells and the blood. Stephen G. Young of the University of California, San Francisco, who reviewed the studies independently, noted that the studies did not determine where the gene works within cells, or the precise biochemical steps involved. But if the ABC1 discovery does lead to new cholesterol drugs, they may work in opposite ways from a class of cholesterol busters that have revolutionized heart care - the statins.
Statins lower the level of LDLs in the bloodstream.
For people at high risk, the drugs can reduce the risk of a heart attack by half. All rights reserved.