Steven E. Nissen, MD, chief academic officer, Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, and the Lewis and Patricia Dickey Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine, at Cleveland Clinic, was the lead author on the Apollo Trial, a late-breaking American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2022 study evaluating the effectiveness of an mRNA drug to suppress lipoprotein(a). The small, phase 1 study found up to a 98% reduction in Lp(a), which previous was not considered a treatable risk factor.
The APOLLO trial examined a short interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA). It was well tolerated, and a dose-dependent lowering of plasma Lp(a) concentrations was observed. The SLN-360 agent from Silence Therapeutics is an investigational gene "silencing" therapy. It is designed to temporarily block a specific gene’s message that would otherwise trigger an unwanted effect. In this case, it aims to silence LPA, a gene that tells the body to make a specific protein that is only found in Lp(a). By silencing LPA, the levels of Lp(a) are lowered, which in turn is expected to lower the risk of heart diseases, heart attacks and strokes.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) became a major headline technology in 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic because two of the vaccines use this same technology. Instead of telling the body to make a protein that makes an antibody that protects against a virus, as with the COVID vaccines, the SLN-30 agent is telling the body to prevent the production of protein that is not beneficial to the patient.
Find more ACC news, video and photos
Links to all the ACC 2022 late-breaking clinical trials
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com