La Jolla Institute researchers advance the work towards a vaccine for heart disease -
search to the first vaccine in the world for heart disease continues to advance the Institute's Jolla for allergy and immunology, with researchers that demonstrate a significant reduction of arterial plaque in concept testing in mice.
Klaus Ley, MD, a pioneer in vascular immunology, vaccine leads the effort, which aims to reduce the buildup of plaque in the arteries by targeting inflammation. In his latest discovery, recently published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology , Ley used two mouse peptides identified by Harley Tse, Ph.D., of Wayne State University, which he built to test the vaccine approach. In the study, the vaccinated mice had arterial plaque about 40 percent less than the mice that did not receive the vaccine.
"Diseases of the heart remains the number one killer of our nation," said Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., La Jolla Institute president and scientific director. "We are excited by the studies of Dr. Ley, who show the promise to create a vaccine that could one day reduce the incidence of this terrible disease. "if successful, the vaccine could be administered to help prevent heart disease and also to stop or reduce the progression of the disease. Besides heart disease, the vaccine could target shots, which are also powered by the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
the research drew praise from several experts in cardiology. Stanley Hazen, MD, Ph.D. .D., head of preventive cardiology section at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the best cardiology hospitals in the nation, called the research "elegant and terribly exciting."
"This lays the foundation for one day be able to prevent or even eradicate heart disease by providing a vaccine. Really remarkably significant advance, "says Hazen, also chairman of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
Eric Topol, MD, academic director of Scripps Health and professor of genomics at the Scripps Research Institute, stressed the importance of Ley work. "If successful, the potential for development of a vaccine to prevent atherosclerosis would be a monumental advance in medicine," said Topol.
About 0,000 Americans die of heart disease each year, an amount of 1 every 4 American deaths. most people know that cholesterol is a major factor in the creation of the artery-clogging plaque leading to heart disease. However, many people may not be aware that inflammation is also a very important contributor to arterial plaque buildup. "numerous studies over the past 15 years have demonstrated the critical role of inflammation in heart disease," says Ley. "By creating a vaccine to reduce inflammation in the arteries, we hope to significantly reduce plaque buildup that accompanies it."
The Ley study was published December 27th in a document "atheroprotective vaccination with MHC-II restricted peptides ApoB- 100" Frontiers in Immunology
Ley said the type of vaccine, he explores is different from these people for the flu and other infections. " the goal of a vaccine against the flu is to teach the immune system to launch an attack if it encounters the virus, "he said. "Our vaccine works more like the desensitization process used in allergy shots Allergy shots are designed to teach the immune system of the individual to tolerate the allergen Our vaccine could work on the same principle - in this case .. What we would teach the immune system to tolerate certain molecules of our own body mistakenly attacks, which causes inflammation. "
in an earlier study, published August 13, 2012 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ley identified a specific kind of immune (CD4 T cells) orchestrate the inflammatory attack on the wall artery receiving specific signals from the antigen from other inflammatory cells in the vessel wall. in addition, it was discovered that these immune cells behave as if they have already seen the antigen that causes them to start the attack. an antigen is a peptide derived from a virus, bacteria or, in the case of autoimmune diseases, one of our own proteins that the immune system mistakenly viewed as foreign and attack.
Ley said the discovery was particularly exciting because it means the immune cells have "memory" of the molecule brought out by antigen presenting cells. "immune memory is the underlying basis of effective vaccines, "he explains. "This means that conceptually, it was possible to envisage the development of a vaccine for heart disease."
Ley collaborated with fellow La Jolla Institute scientist Alessandro Sette, Ph.D. and Dr. Tse from Wayne State University in Michigan, to identify specific peptides, which invites high blood attack in mice - the sub-product which is inflammation. Mouse peptides were used in the test vaccine to teach the body, through gradual exposure, tolerate rather than attack these proteins.
Alongside this research Ley worked with Sette, a biologist vaccine internationally recognized, identified several candidate peptides in order to eventually create a vaccine against heart disease for people. "The next step is to test promising candidate peptides in mice specially designed with an immune system more similar to humans," he said. If successful, the vaccine could begin human clinical trials in as little as three years, says Ley.
The vaccine effort reflects the power to top immunologists together in an institution, Ley note. "This shows what can happen when you have an institute like ours dedicated to immunology," says Ley. "Sette is a world renowned expert on vaccines and I have knowledge in specialized cardiovascular immunology. It is the combination of our two areas of expertise that allows this vaccine initiative to continue. I do not think it could have happened anywhere else. "
EmoticonEmoticon