Progress Towards Clinical Trials for Atherosclerosis at Cyclarity

Cyclarity is taking a fast path to the clinic for clearance of 7-ketocholesterol, a toxic altered form of cholesterol that contributes to the dysfunction of macrophage cells that lies at the root of atherosclerosis. To the degree that macrophage cells can be rescued from the local excess of cholesterol and altered cholesterol present in an atherosclerotic plaque, they will work to dismantle that plaque. The question is whether removing only 7-ketocholesterol will produce a bigger effect on established atherosclerotic plaque than the presently established approach of lowering LDL-cholesterol in the bloodstream. This is a low bar, as even greatly lowered LDL-cholesterol, while slowing the progression of the condition, actually does very little to reverse existing plaque. Our lead drug candidate is a cyclodextrin that targets an oxidized cholesterol called 7-ketocholesterol that accumulates in various cells and tissues with age, and the main type of tissue that we are looking at is in the artery where, as I'm sure everyone knows, cholesterol is considered the bad guy that accumulates and causes plaque, the buildup inside of your arteries. What a lot of people don't know is that the most toxic and the most atherogenic is the oxidized cholesterol form. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque inside of your arteries, which is formed by the accumulation of this oxidized cholesterol form. Additionally, unlike cholesterol, which you absolutely need to survive, you don't need...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs