Gene Editing for the Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia

Here, we summarize the key findings from preclinical studies that tested the concept that editing of hepatic genes can lower plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels to subsequently reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk.

Selective delivery of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-mediated gene editing tools targeting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) to hepatocytes, i.e., through encapsulation into N-acetylgalactosamine-coupled lipid nanoparticles, is able to induce a stable ~ 90% decrease in plasma PCSK9 levels and a concomitant 60% reduction in LDL-cholesterol levels in mice and non-humane primates. Studies in mice have shown that this state-of-the-art technology can be extended to include additional targets related to dyslipidemia such as angiopoietin-like 3 and several apolipoproteins.

The use of gene editors holds great promise to lower plasma LDL-cholesterol levels also in the human setting. However, gene editing safety has to be guaranteed before this approach can become a clinical success.