Stanley Hazen: No, all HDL is functional and protective at developing heart disease.
Lead author on the study, Dr. Stanley Hazen, says doctors have known this for several years. HDL cholesterol is supposed to remove plaque buildup in arteries near the heart. But sometimes the HDL particle becomes dysfunctional. Hazen's study maps the molecular structure of the HDL particle and has detected where along the particle's path it can become compromised.
Stanley Hazen: In the artery wall we know specifically where it gets modified and how it inhibits the activity of the particle. And this is critical to being able to prevent that from happening and how to measure it.
Hazen says, the reasons behind the modification are still unknown. He says the data is integral to developing a blood test and medical therapies to catch and treat the problem. The findings are published this week in the Journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, 90.3.