I am sure you’ve seen those advertisements.  Truvada.  Cabenuva.   These are once a month (or less frequent) treatments to keep HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) under control.

I remember when friends were taking 2, 3, or 4 pills a day to stay alive- let alone keep HIV in the undetectable region.  It’s great when science can make our ability to survive- and even thrive- with an illness possible.

Well, now there is a new development that may provide the same sort of relief for those with high cholesterol issues.  With a kicker.

First, we have to understand the concept of epigenome editing.  We all know that the genome is our DNA record, the genetic coding of our body.  The epigenome is comprised of a slew of chemical compounds that tell the genome what to do.

Editing the genome involves potential long range risks- not to mention ethical issues with “playing” with our genetic code.  Not so with epigenomes.

Next, we need to know that our livers produce a protein, PCSK9.   That protein effects the breakdown of another protein that removes cholesterol from our blood.  Ipso facto- if we can block the PCSK9 protein- or preclude its production- we can ensure that the cholesterol levels in our body are lower, reducing our risk for developing heart disease.

Well, Verve Therapeutics found a way to disable the PCSK9 gene via gene editing.   Actually, they employ base editing, which instead of cutting DNA strands or altering their sequence, the epigenome editing tools add/remove chemical tags that control the gene activity.  Which means no long term risk of permanent mutations.

And, while this has not yet been done in humans, mouse testing has shown that a one-off injection can deal with the PCSK9 gene effectively for some 220 days.

It’s not clear when such testing will be ready for human use.

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