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Nature 400, 816-819 (26 August 1999) | doi:10.1038/23584

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Heart disease:  Good cholesterol news

James Scott1

Two decades ago, mutations in the gene that encodes the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor were shown to cause familial hypercholesterolaemia — an inherited condition in which too much LDL ('bad' cholesterol) circulates in the blood. With this discovery came a new era in understanding cholesterol metabolism, leading to the development of powerful drugs to block the synthesis of cholesterol, lower the levels of LDL in the blood and help prevent coronary heart disease and strokes.

  1. James Scott is at the Imperial College School of Medicine and the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK.
    e-mail: Email: j.scott@ic.ac.uk