Gene patents in the primary prevention of vascular diseases.

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death and disability in the developed world. Despite the use of aggressive therapies, a high morbidity and mortality with vascular origin persists. It is necessary to find new therapeutic targets complementing the existing ones to solve this sanitary problem. Basic and clinical investigation into many of the diverse aspects of cardiovascular drug discovery employs varied approaches aimed at determining physiologic and pathophysiologic efficacy of candidate agents for therapeutic utility with the ultimate hope of identifying those agents capable of exerting salutary influence upon cardiac and vascular tissues. We collected the articles published based on gene patenting in the primary prevention of vascular diseases. Promising compounds may then be used for prophylactic cardiovascular protection and for the treatment of various disorders including endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, hypertension and dyslipidaemia.