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

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

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines use bio-engineered ribonucleic acid to trick people’s bodies into fighting the virus. Researchers at the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research say they have now learned to use that 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), more commonly known as bad cholesterol. Lp (a) has an extra protein coil that lodges in the walls of arteries and causes blood clots and inflammation. This increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and having a fatal heart attack or stroke.

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

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“When it comes to the COVID-19 vaccines, we use RNA messages to amplify the signal to expose the immune system to the spike protein. When we tackle cholesterol issues, we use RNA technology to block messages so that our bodies don’t produce that bad chemical, ”said Koren.

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

“Half of the family members of an index case may 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 currently under investigation involves an injection similar to 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 the blood like a dialysis machine that filters the kidneys.