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Immunotherapy Reduces Plaque In Arteries Of Mice
Antibody-based therapy could complement traditional cholesterol-lowering methods to treat heart disease
Jan. 30, 2026 at 9:55pm
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Scientists have designed an immunotherapy that reduces plaque in the arteries of mice, presenting a possible new treatment strategy against heart disease. The antibody-based therapy could complement traditional methods of managing coronary artery disease that focus on lowering cholesterol through diet or medications such as statins.
Why it matters
Such an immunotherapy could especially help patients who already have plaque in their coronary arteries and remain at high risk of heart attack even if they're able to achieve low cholesterol levels in the blood. The novel therapy targets a harmful type of cell located within blood vessel walls that plays a central role in driving inflammation and dangerous plaque formation.
The details
The therapy uses a synthetic antibody - a type of lab-generated protein - to destroy these modulated smooth muscle cells that directly contribute to coronary artery disease. Eliminating these cells in mouse models of atherosclerosis reduced the amount of plaque, diminished plaque inflammation, and improved the stability of the plaque, which is important for preventing heart attacks.
- The study is published on January 29, 2026.
The players
Kory J. Lavine
A professor of medicine in WashU Medicine's Cardiovascular Division and the senior author of the study.
Amgen
The biotech company that the researchers worked with on studies of the antibody-based molecule.
What they’re saying
“This type of antibody therapy was originally designed to target cancers, such as lymphoma, and we imagine a similar precision medicine approach for cardiovascular disease.”
— Kory J. Lavine, Professor of medicine
“Cholesterol-lowering medications are mainly preventive, which does not substantially reduce plaques that are already there. An immunotherapy that can reduce inflammation and dangerous plaque in patients with more advanced atherosclerosis is an exciting prospect.”
— Kory J. Lavine, Professor of medicine
What’s next
The researchers are planning more imaging studies and further optimizing the BiTE molecule to explore its potential as a safe and effective treatment for atherosclerosis. They also are aiming to see if their imaging tracer could be used to distinguish stable versus unstable plaques, so they can try to prevent heart attacks in patients at the highest risk.
The takeaway
This novel immunotherapy approach offers a potential new strategy to treat cardiovascular disease by targeting the harmful cells that drive plaque formation and instability in the arteries, complementing traditional cholesterol-lowering methods. If successful in further studies, it could help patients with advanced atherosclerosis who remain at high risk of heart attack.
