North Carolina Central University News October 15, 2019 $1.4M Grant to Examine Treatment for High Cholesterol North Carolina Central Associate Professor Dayami Lopez, Ph.D., was awarded a $1.48 million grant from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences to study new means of treating high cholesterol and preventing heart disease. The four-year grant will advance Lopez's research into regulation of low-density lipoproteins, also known as LDL cholesterol, considered a major risk factor in heart disease. "Heart disease causes about a quarter of all deaths each year," Lopez said. "It occurs because of a combination of genetic mutations and environmental factors, including lack of exercise and too much fat in the diet." Statins, a class of medicines known to block cholesterol production in the liver, are widely used to treat patients with high LDL. However, not all patients respond well to statins. Some have serious side effects, and others, including those with a genetic marker for high cholesterol, fail to improve. A secondary treatment type to control cholesterol levels is by regulating proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, or PCSK9 has been in use since 2015. But this treatment is expensive, costing hundreds of dollars a month, and often not covered by health insurance, Lopez said. Lopez's grant will enable her to continue working to develop a third type of treatment to modulate PCSK9 using the Alpha 1 antitrypsin protein, a method expected to lower treatment costs and help more people with genetically based high cholesterol. "Data from a previous study have given us, for the first time, concrete evidence that Alpha 1 antitrypsin will interact with PCSK9," Lopez said. "Now we are looking into the mechanics of that interaction. We will be using cell lines from three different ethnic groups: Caucasian, Asian and African American." Because of genetic differences, some ethnic groups, including African Americans, are at greater risk of having additional complications than just high cholesterol. These studies have the potential to personalize treatment for patients suffering from multiple cardiometabolic risk factors. The grant funding will provide $370,000 per year over four years to assist in development of the potential new treatment. This research also involves the collaboration of Dr. Sean Kimbro, another NCCU Associate Professor. Kimbro will support the project through his expertise in the study of health disparities. "Support from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences underscores the value of NCCU's research mission," said Eun K. Park, Ph.D., associate provost and dean of the Division of Research and Sponsored Programs at NCCU. "Dr. Lopez's research team is at the forefront of international efforts to reduce heart disease mortality rates, particularly in minority populations." SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/