Technology used in the development of Pfizer vaccines, Moderna COVID-19 can prevent fatal heart attacks

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – The same technology used to help Pfizer and Moderna develop their COVID-19 vaccines can prevent fatal heart attacks, according to doctors at the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research.

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines use ribonucleic acid created by bioengineering to induce people’s bodies to fight the virus. Researchers at the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research say they have now learned to use the same technology to prevent the production of a protein linked to fatal heart attacks.

Lipoprotein (a), also known as Lp (a), is referred to by doctors as the evil twin of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), commonly known as bad cholesterol. Lp (a) has a coil of extra protein that buries itself in the artery wall, causing blood clots and inflammation. This increases the chances of developing cardiovascular disease and suffering a heart attack or deadly stroke.

Dr. Michal Koren is a cardiologist and research director at the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research. His research on bioengineered modified ribonucleic acid helped Pfizer and Moderna to develop their COVID-19 vaccines. He says that the same technology seems to work against Lp (a).

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“When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, we are using RNA messages to increase the signal and expose the immune system to protein spike. When dealing with cholesterol problems, we are using RNA technology to block messages, so that our bodies do not produce this bad chemical, ”said Koren.

Koren says that people with high levels of Lp (a) may not know they have it because it is not routinely tested. People who have had a heart attack or stroke in their 30s or 40s usually have higher levels of Lp (a). Super high levels of Lp (a) combined with other cholesterol levels have been found in much younger patients. Koren says that this protein is typically inherited.

“Half of the family members in an index case can also have this problem, so it is important to understand the genetic relationships of people within a family, especially if someone has had a heart attack or stroke at a young age,” said Koren.

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The RNA treatment being researched involves an injection much like the COVID-19 vaccine. If the treatment is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, people with high levels of Lp (a) will no longer need to undergo plasmapheresis, a process that filters blood much like a dialysis machine that filters the kidneys.