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Developing a vaccine against atherosclerosis

Nature Reviews Cardiology volume 17, pages 451–452 (2020)Cite this article

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The notion that atherosclerosis can be prevented or mitigated by vaccination is now moving towards clinical trials. This strategy is based on the existence of autoimmunity to LDL, the cholesterol-carrying particles that accumulate in arteries. In this Comment, we discuss the underlying concepts, research basis and challenges for the development of a vaccine against atherosclerosis.

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Fig. 1: Milestones in the development of a vaccine against atherosclerosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Göran K. Hansson

  2. Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden

    Jan Nilsson

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  1. Göran K. Hansson
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  2. Jan Nilsson
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Correspondence to Göran K. Hansson.

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Competing interests

G.K.H. and J.N. are co-inventors on patents involving immune-modulatory therapies for atherosclerosis. These patents have been assigned to Abcentra, CA, USA. J.N. is a member of the board of Abcentra.

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Hansson, G.K., Nilsson, J. Developing a vaccine against atherosclerosis. Nat Rev Cardiol 17, 451–452 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-020-0407-7

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