Reducing Lesions of Atherosclerosis

Translational medicine faces a major hurdel in delivering a new discovery into clinical practice affordably enough for common distribution.

The above entry in Editor's Choice, Science Magazine, vol 326, AAAS, LBR -- describes a signeling micro RNA, miR-126, released from dying cells that promotes healing of atherosclerotic placks in athrosclerotic mice.

"In a mouse model of atherosclerosis, administration of apoptotic bodies or miR-126 promotes the production of CXCL12 and reduces the size of lesions in the blood vescles."

The implications of this finding if effective in humans, would significantly reduce mortality morbidity and cost for a number of related diseases such as heart attack, stroke and arterial-vascular disease. miR-126 could be huge.

The problem, however, arises from drug companies kidnapping this signaling component as their own and marketing the miR-126 for some obscene price -- as happened with Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA). "miR-126" has about as much chance of finding its way to clinical aplication without being kidnaped as Leona Helmsley and her cat would find in Iraq.

In truth the micro RNA is part of our genetics. It would seem wise to disallow private patents of our own genetic make-up -- dream on. There should be a way for research institutes such as Zernecke et al to carry out human studies and find a way to produce the product inexpensively for use in teaching hospitals and later universally. Clinicians do not utilize "tPA" as frequently as they should precisely because of the obscene price -- just one of the challenges of translational medicine.