{"id":31245,"date":"2025-11-03T17:46:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=31245"},"modified":"2025-11-03T17:58:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:58:50","slug":"new-study-links-genetic-variants-to-elevated-cholesterol-and-increased-heart-attack-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/new-study-links-genetic-variants-to-elevated-cholesterol-and-increased-heart-attack-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study Links Genetic Variants to Elevated Cholesterol and Increased Heart Attack Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">University of Pittsburgh scientists have developed a pioneering resource to identify genetic variants linked to high &#8220;bad&#8221; cholesterol, offering a revolutionary tool for early prediction and prevention of heart attacks and strokes.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a landmark study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.ady7186\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> on Oct. 30 in the journal Science, an international research team led by a scientist from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has unveiled a pioneering resource to identify individuals at genetic risk for elevated &#8216;bad&#8217; cholesterol, a major contributor to heart disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study promises to revolutionize the field of cardiology by enabling clinicians to predict patient risk for heart attacks and strokes much earlier, allowing for timely intervention and preventive treatment measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming nearly 700,000 lives annually. While lifestyle factors like diet and exercise contribute to heart health, a significant portion of heart disease risk is attributed to genetics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minor variations in the gene encoding the receptor for LDL, or low-density lipoprotein \u2014 often labeled as &#8220;bad&#8221; cholesterol \u2014 can result in the build-up of harmful plaque in the arteries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEven with normal LDL levels, a person might be at an elevated risk of a heart attack due to disease-causing variants in the LDL receptor,\u201d senior author Frederick P. Roth, the John K. Vries Professor of Computational Biology and chair of computational and systems biology at Pitt, said in a news release. \u201cBy identifying damaging LDL receptor variants, clinicians can initiate preventive treatment early on and mitigate risks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LDL acts as a shuttle in healthy blood vessels, transporting &#8220;good&#8221; cholesterol essential for various bodily functions, including the production of hormones and vitamins. However, genetic mutations that lower the quantity or efficiency of the LDL receptor protein can lead to dangerously high LDL levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Advanced gene sequencing technologies now allow scientists to decode an individual&#8217;s entire genetic code rapidly. Nonetheless, interpreting the vast amount of genetic data to determine which variations affect health has remained a major challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This new resource addresses this issue by classifying nearly 17,000 modifications of the LDL receptor gene and correlating them with changes in the LDL receptor protein&#8217;s structure and function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNew unclassified variants are seen all the time in the clinic, and we often don&#8217;t have the evidence we need to inform patient care,\u201d added co-author Dan Roden, a clinician-scientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). \u201cThese variant impact scores have the potential to increase the number of diagnoses of familial high cholesterol for those with unclassified variants by a factor of ten.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This cholesterol-specific initiative is part of a larger project known as the Atlas of Variant Effects Alliance, co-founded by Roth. The alliance boasts over 500 scientists from 50 countries focused on mapping the functional effects of genetic variants across various inherited disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study also revealed a surprising finding: a subset of LDL receptor variants showed reduced LDL uptake due to high levels of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), a precursor of LDL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe influence of VLDL on LDL uptake was an unexpected finding. We\u2019re excited about investigating this further and understanding potential implications for human health,\u201d added lead author Daniel Tabet, of the University of Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:13px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medschool.pitt.edu\/news\/study-links-genetic-variants-higher-bad-cholesterol-and-heart-attack-risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a landmark study published on Oct. 30 in the journal Science, an international research team led by a scientist from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has unveiled a pioneering resource to identify individuals at genetic risk for elevated &#8216;bad&#8217; cholesterol, a major contributor to heart disease. The study promises to revolutionize the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[485,39],"class_list":["post-31245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","tag-university-of-pittsburgh-school-of-medicine","tag-university-of-toronto"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In a landmark study published on Oct. 30 in the journal Science, an international research team led by a scientist from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has unveiled a pioneering resource to identify individuals at genetic risk for elevated &#8216;bad&#8217; cholesterol, a major contributor to heart disease. The study promises to revolutionize the&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31245"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31272,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31245\/revisions\/31272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}