Which anti-platelet drug slows down atherosclerosis most effectively?

Anti-atherogenic effects of anti-platelet drugs in patients with silent atherosclerosis

Millions of people in the UK are living with coronary heart disease - the UK’s biggest killer. It caused by a process called atherosclerosis, when fatty plaques build up inside artery walls and the vessels become narrow. Clinical pharmacologist Professor Albert Ferro at King’s College London has received a BHF Clinical Research Training Fellowship grant to enable a talented doctor to gain research training with his team. Professor Ferro has found that in mice with atherosclerosis, platelets in the blood become activated and encourage immune cells called monocytes to produce a protein on their surface called CD16, which makes them stick to the damaged artery inner lining, and penetrate the plaque causing further development of atherosclerosis. Professor Ferro’s team will determine whether blocking platelets in people with plaques using drugs makes blood monocytes produce less CD16 and less likely to worsen atherosclerosis, and if there is less damage to the vessel walls. This research will reveal which anti-platelet drug slows down atherosclerosis progression most effectively.