(ANSA) - Rome, July 26 - Italian researchers have discovered
the gene for arteriosclerosis and devised a treatment to "switch
it off" and prevent heart disease.
The gene is responsible for producing a protein that in
turn produces oxidant molecules that damage the walls of the
heart, veins and arteries.
The discovery was made by a team from the Life Sciences
Institute at Pisa's prestigious Sant'Anna School for Advanced
Studies specializing in applied sciences, the National Research
Council's (CNR) Institute for Clinical Physiology, and the
Gabriele Monasterio Foundation for medical research and public
health.
Researchers 'switch off' heart disease
Discovery paves way for genetic treatment