Sorting out sortilin

Aninternational team of cardiovascular researchers has reported the largest ever genomewide association study meta-analysis, encompassing 46 data sets and leading to the identification of 59 new genetic variants associated with plasma lipid levels.¹ Potentially the most provocative finding is an association between coronary artery disease and a mutation in the gene for sortilin 1, an intracellular trafficking protein involved in hepatic lipid metabolism.²

The team is now studying the sortilin 1 (SORT1) pathway in animals and haspartnered with RNAi company Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., which has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize any SORT1-targeting therapeutic that results from the research...