Scientists in Hong Kong are embarking on a study to identify genes that are responsible for high cholesterol and heart disease in patients in southern China, which they hope will pave the way for the design of better drugs. While cholesterol levels are coming under control in some Western countries due to drugs and healthier lifestyles, they are shooting ever higher in China, leading to higher incidence of heart disease and stroke. By teasing out the culprit genes, experts will know if they match the rogue genes in Caucasian patients, for whom blood-thinning statins like Pfizer’s Lipitor, AstraZeneca’s Crestor and Merck & Co’s Zocor were designed.
