A landmark study has found that a single infusion of an experimental gene-editing therapy can dramatically reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol in patients with severe inherited heart risks.
The trial results, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in May 2026, showed that findings from the Phase I Heart-2 clinical trial demonstrated that VERVE-102—a single-dose gene-editing therapy—successfully switched off the PCSK9 gene in liver cells, leading to a significant drop in circulating cholesterol levels.
Researchers explained that, unlike conventional treatments such as daily pills or periodic injections, VERVE-102 works as a one-time genetic intervention.
“The current treatment model relies on chronically administered therapies — daily pills, intermittent injections, [for which] real-world efficacy is limited by high discontinuation rates,” lead researcher Scott Vafai told TCTMD, a cardiology news site of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.
By deactivating the PCSK9 gene—which produces a protein that breaks down LDL receptors—the therapy allows the liver to retain more active receptors on its surface, improving its ability to clear low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from the bloodstream.
To assess the therapy’s effectiveness, researchers studied patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), a condition linked to premature coronary artery disease, whose LDL levels remained high despite statin treatment.
The study found that at the highest dose tested, the therapy reduced PCSK9 protein levels by up to 88%.
It also lowered LDL cholesterol by as much as 62%, equivalent to an average reduction of 78 mg/dL.
Researchers reported no dose-limiting toxicities in the initial phase of the trial, with adverse effects described as mild to moderate.
With the positive Phase I results, Vafai said the findings mark “an important first step to demonstrating that such a one-time therapy to durably lower LDL may be possible.”
He added that the second phase of the trial is expected to begin later this year, noting that further safety data are still needed.
“We’re very committed to that. We’ll be doing phase II and a broader development program to really capture that long-term safety data. I can say that what we’ve established in terms of our experimental data, which we report in the paper, has been very reassuring and it provides a very solid scientific foundation for our confidence in developing this medicine,” he told TCTMD.
