New atherosclerosis findings 'could save millions of lives'

Two separate studies by researchers from Harvard and Baylor could lead to new treatments that would reduce heart attacks and strokes considerably.

Harvard scientists found the absence of ROCK1, a single protein that is needed for immune cells to "clean up" vascular walls after contact with fatty deposits, greatly reduces inflammation in the walls of blood vessels caused by atherosclerosis.

The second study concentrated on preventing atherosclerosis after the activation of the immune system, aiming to develop drugs that reduce inflammation by targeting lipid mediators that the body uses to resolve inflammation once it has started.

One of the first report's co-authors, Dr James Liao, director of Vascular Medicine Research at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, said: "The ultimate goal of the research is to prevent or slow atherosclerosis, and these findings provide a new target to do this."

Heart disease causes roughly 29 per cent of all deaths in the US, while stroke is the third biggest killer in the country and the leading cause of adult disability.