A team of NHLBI-funded scientists have cut out a segment of cells’ genomes that is the main reason for an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, which include heart attacks, aneurysms or strokes, according to a study published in Cell.
It has been known for over a decade that billions of people carry a mysterious specter in their DNA that strongly increases their risk for cardiovascular diseases, regardless of diet, exercise or medical treatment.
The current findings represent a major breakthrough in unveiling this medical mystery by precisely cutting the DNA culprit, which prevents blood vessel cell abnormalities related to these devastating diseases. This discovery also allowed researchers to begin to tease out how this area of the DNA affects health.