News of a new vaccine to address high cholesterol levels may soon become another breakthrough for the medical scientific community.
Though still in the early stages, the injectable vaccine being developed by researchers at the University of New Mexico and the National Institute of Health to prevent cholesterol build-up are showing great promise among mice and monkeys, according to Time.
Based on a report published in the journal Vaccine, the vaccine is designed to attack a protein called PCSK9, which manager cholesterol levels in the blood.
By interfering with PCSK9, the researchers were able to bring down the cholesterol levels in the blood of the lab animals.
In fact, news of the latest test trails have shown that new vaccine reduced LDL levels (bad cholesterol) after being administered only once on the animal subjects.
"One of the most exciting things about this new vaccine is it seems to be much more effective than statins alone," the study's author, Dr. Bryce Chackerian of the University of New Mexico, said in a statement.
Millions of people are currently taking cholesterol-lowering drugs in order to prevent the onset of heart-related ailments.
However, studies have shown that statins have negative side effects, which have led researchers to look into other ways of lowering cholesterol levels, which include the injectable vaccine.
As news of the new anti-cholesterol vaccine has given hope to patients, the medical community is recommending two types of vaccines that would protect people from acquiring pneumonia, reported Central KY News.
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) is advised for infants and children under the age of 5, for adults 65 years or older, and for people six years or older with certain risk factors.
On the other hand, pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) is recommended for all adults aged 65 or older, and for people aged two through 64 who have a high risk of contracting pneumonia.
Based on studies, pneumonia occurs particularly in children under the age of two, adults over the age of 65, or individuals who have other chronic health problems or weak immune systems.
The disease is an infection in one or both lungs which are caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi. It can also be acquired when a person inhales certain types of liquids or chemicals.
News of these new vaccines do not only hold the promise of improved health conditions but possibly, longer life spans as well.
