Vaccines for cholesterol management.

Over the last 50 years, several attempts have been made to harness the power and economy of vaccines in the fight against cardiovascular disease. Vaccines directed to lipoproteins, cholesterol itself, and molecules involved in cholesterol metabolism have all demonstrated success in modifying progression of disease in animal models of atherosclerosis. One vaccine that elicits antibodies to cholesteryl ester transfer protein has also progressed into the realm of human clinical testing. This review summarizes the published scientific work describing the various approaches that have been tried, their strengths and weaknesses, and where this field may go in the future.