There are already trends in that direction. Through the Human Genome Project and other research, scientists are gaining a better understanding of the molecular, cellular and genetic mechanisms responsible for heart and vascular disease, says Willerson. The development of therapies that address the underlying mechanisms of heart disease will reduce the incidence of heart disease, he says. An example of an existing mechanism-based therapy, he says, is a class of drugs called statins, which lower the level of cholesterol in the blood by interfering with the synthesis of cholesterol in the body. The final step in cholesterol synthesis is through an enzyme called HMG CoA reductase.
Statins directly inhibit that enzyme and reduce the amount of cholesterol that the liver makes.
In 1989, Willerson established the Institute for Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Disease at UT-Houston to conduct fundamental scientific research at the level of human genes and cell molecules. Much of the research at the institute is directed towards the identification and study of genes that are involved in specific cardiovascular diseases.