Skip to main content
Previous version of the website
27.1
Jeddah
Partly cloudy
C 27.9
C 24.7
Khlis
Partly cloudy
C 28.3
C 20.3
Al Kamil
Clear
C 26.9
C 16.4

البحث و الابتكار

تلتزم كلية الطب بنشر ثقافة البحث والابتكار لمواجهة التحديات الصحية الملحّة وتعزيز المعرفة الطبية. من خلال الأبحاث المتقدمة والمبادرات التعاونية والحلول المبتكرة، تسعى الكلية إلى تحقيق إسهامات بارزة في المجال الطبي وتحسين نتائج الصحة العامة. وتشمل جهودها تشجيع أعضاء هيئة التدريس والطلاب على المشاركة في مشاريع بحثية تعالج القضايا الصحية المحلية والعالمية، وتوفير الموارد والدعم لتطوير تقنيات وحلول طبية مبتكرة، وتعزيز التعاون بين التخصصات المختلفة لضمان تأثير أبحاثها، مع الالتزام بالمعايير الأخلاقية وتلبية احتياجات المجتمع.
14
Mar 2014
PCSK9: a key modulator of cardiovascular health
للمزيد
Since the discovery of proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) in 2003, this PC has attracted a lot of attention from the scientific community and pharmaceutical companies. Secreted into the plasma by the liver, the proteinase K–like serine protease PCSK9 binds the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor at the surface of hepatocytes, thereby preventing its recycling and enhancing its degradation in endosomes/lysosomes, resulting in reduced LDL-cholesterol clearance. Surprisingly, in a nonenzymatic fashion, PCSK9 enhances the intracellular degradation of all its target proteins. Rare gain-of-function PCSK9 variants lead to higher levels of LDL-cholesterol and increased risk of cardiovascular disease; more common loss-of-function PCSK9 variants are associated with reductions in both LDL-cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease. It took 9 years to elaborate powerful new PCSK9-based therapeutic approaches to reduce circulating levels of LDL-cholesterol. Presently, PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies that inhibit its function on the LDL receptor are evaluated in phase III clinical trials. This review will address the biochemical, genetic, and clinical aspects associated with PCSK9’s biology and pathophysiology in cells, rodent and human, with emphasis on the clinical benefits of silencing the expression/activity of PCSK9 as a new modality in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and associated pathologies.