Editing cholesterol out of the blood

In patients with high cholesterol and at risk of cardiovascular disease, inhibitors of PCSK9 are useful in lowering lipid levels but must be dosed regularly. A recent study in Nature by Munsunuru and colleagues explores the possibility of permanently disrupting PCSK9 expression via in vivo CRISPR gene editing in non-human primates, with long-lasting reductions in LDL cholesterol.