New Therapy Melts Heart Plaque in Mice, Could Save Lives

Scientists at Washington University have developed an antibody therapy that clears plaque from arteries in mice, opening a promising new path to prevent heart attacks in people already at risk.

The breakthrough matters because current treatments like statins mainly prevent new plaque from forming. They don't do much to remove dangerous buildup that's already there, leaving millions of patients vulnerable to heart attacks even when their cholesterol numbers look good.

The new therapy works differently from anything doctors use today. It sends a synthetic antibody into the bloodwork like a guided missile, targeting specific harmful cells inside artery walls that drive inflammation and plaque growth.

These troublemaker cells are called modulated smooth muscle cells. They release signals that call in inflammatory immune cells, creating a cycle of damage that builds up dangerous plaque over time.

The therapy uses what scientists call a BiTE molecule. Think of it as a tiny matchmaker that introduces the harmful cells to T cells, which are the immune system's cleanup crew. Once introduced, the T cells destroy the damaging cells.

In mice with atherosclerosis, the treatment worked remarkably well. It reduced the amount of plaque, calmed inflammation, and made remaining plaque more stable and less likely to rupture and cause a heart attack.

To create the therapy, researchers first had to find these harmful cells. They analyzed 150,000 cells from 27 human heart arteries using cutting-edge single-cell profiling, creating a detailed map of where different cell types live in diseased arteries.

They discovered the harmful cells cluster in the most vulnerable parts of plaque, exactly where ruptures that cause heart attacks tend to happen. The cells carry a unique marker called fibroblast activation protein on their surface, giving the BiTE molecule a clear target.

The team even developed a special imaging tracer that lights up these cells on PET scans. When they tested it on patients with coronary artery disease, it successfully highlighted problem areas in their arteries.

Why This Inspires

This research represents a fundamental shift in how we might treat heart disease. Instead of just managing risk factors, doctors could one day directly attack the plaques threatening their patients' lives.

Lead researcher Dr. Kory Lavine calls it a precision medicine approach for cardiovascular disease, similar to targeted cancer therapies. The treatment could especially help patients with advanced atherosclerosis who remain at high risk despite doing everything right with diet and medication.

The therapy is still in early stages and hasn't been tested in humans yet. But the mouse results are strong enough that researchers are optimistic about moving forward.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming nearly 18 million lives each year. A treatment that could reverse existing damage instead of just slowing new damage would be transformative for hundreds of millions of people.

The findings appear in the journal Science, one of the world's most prestigious scientific publications.