{
  "id": 4281221,
  "title": "With the Snip of a Gene, Scientists Hope To Erase High Cholesterol For Life",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/with-the-snip-of-a-gene-scientists-hope-to-erase-high-cholesterol-for",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-29T21:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Slashdot",
    "slug": "slashdot",
    "url": "https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/08/29/1942224/with-the-snip-of-a-gene-scientists-hope-to-erase-high-cholesterol-for-life"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have discovered a one-time treatment that can significantly reduce heart-clogging cholesterol levels for a year without any negative side effects, according to a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The trial involved four individuals with the highest dose of the experimental treatment during a pilot study involving 15 patients who had dangerously high cholesterol levels that did not respond to medication. The study, led by Dr. Luke Laffin, a preventive cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, aimed to evaluate the safety of five different doses of a gene-altering infusion using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Dr. Steven Nissen, senior study author and chief academic officer of the Cleveland Clinic, expressed surprise at the possibility of such an intervention being feasible. After 60 days of treatment, the reduction in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides persisted over a year in people who received the highest dose, indicating the long-lasting effects of the procedure. If similar results are observed in larger clinical trials, this treatment could revolutionize healthcare for young people with severe cholesterol issues, potentially eliminating the need for daily pills or frequent shots for the next six decades. This breakthrough has the potential to drastically lower the risk of heart disease for those born with a specific genetic mutation, as Dr. Ann Marie Navar, an associate professor of cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, highlighted the immense possibilities of this technology.",
  "summary": "CNN reports that \"A one-time snip of a key gene lowered heart-clogging cholesterol by about 50% over an entire year with no adverse effects, scientists have reported.\" The overwhelmingly positive results were found in four people who had taken the highest dose of the experimental treatment during a pilot study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in November 2025. That study was…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}