Now scientists are developing a vaccine to lower CHOLESTEROL, which is linked to 18 million deaths per year

A cheap vaccine could lower high cholesterol and reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease and stroke within a decade.

Researchers from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM) found that the injection reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol in mice and monkeys by almost 30 percent, which the researchers described as “promising.”

The vaccine works by blocking the cholesterol-raising protein PCSK9 and should be given once a year when it reaches pharmacy shelves. The researchers also predict it could cost less than $100 per dose.

After decades of failed public health reporting on weight-related conditions, research has now turned to treating them with drugs. Success has already been achieved, with Wegovy and the recently approved Zepbound proving highly effective in treating obesity.

It is also a major risk factor for heart disease, which kills nearly 18 million adults in the world every year.

Dr. Bryce Chackerian, principal investigator and regents professor in UNM's Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, said, “This is a vaccine that we believe could have a global impact. So not just in the United States, but around the world, where heart disease is a major problem.”

“We hope to have a vaccine in humans within the next ten years.”

High cholesterol occurs when there are too many fatty deposits, called lipids, in the blood. This can make it difficult for blood to flow through the arteries and travel to vital organs such as the heart and brain.

This causes the heart to work harder, making it more likely to weaken, leading to heart attack and heart disease. The brain, meanwhile, becomes deprived of oxygen, increasing the risk of stroke.

Greasy foods, smoking, drinking and lack of exercise can all increase LDL cholesterol, although some people with a family history may be genetically predisposed to it.

The vaccine targets the protein PCSK9, a molecule made in the liver that travels through the bloodstream and increases LDL (bad) cholesterol. The more the body produces, the higher the LDL cholesterol will be.

The shot blocks the protein by injecting non-infectious virus particles with small pieces of PCSK9 attached.

“It's just the shell of a virus, and it turns out we can use that shell of a virus to develop vaccines against all sorts of things,” Dr. Chackerian said.

'Your immune system makes a very strong antibody response against this protein that is involved in controlling cholesterol levels.'

In monkeys and mice, the vaccine lowered LDL cholesterol by as much as 30 percent. “That will be correlated with a reduced risk of heart disease,” Dr. Chackerian said.

Although similar injections that reduce PCSK9 are on the market, they can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 without insurance.

However, because the new vaccine is made with a “relatively cheap” bacteria, Dr. Chackerian thinks it could be cheaper than $100 per dose. “We're thinking tens of dollars per dose,” he said.

Each dose is said to be effective for one year. It is unclear whether the vaccine would be specifically for people with existing high cholesterol or could be effective in people at risk of developing it.

After ten years of testing on animals, the researchers now want to finance human trials.

“We're interested in trying to develop a different approach that would be less expensive and more broadly applicable, not just in the United States, but also in places that don't have the resources to afford these very, very expensive therapies,” Dr. . Chackerian said.

The team's findings were published in the journal npj vaccines.