Atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of death in older adults, leading to heart attacks and strokes. It results from excessive lipids, especially cholesterol, inside blood vessels, causing plaque formation. Although treatments such as statins can reduce blood cholesterol levels, they cannot effectively remove cholesterol and other lipids from existing plaques or eliminate the plaques.
Because humans cannot naturally break down cholesterol, clearing it from established plaques remains a major therapeutic challenge. As a Schmidt Science Fellow, Yan will identify efficient cholesterol-degrading genes from bacteria. He also hopes to find human genes with the potential to boost cholesterol removal when their activity is enhanced.
By testing these genes in mammalian cells and mouse models, Yan aims to determine whether removing excess cholesterol can help combat disease. Identifying the biological mechanisms underlying cholesterol removal could lead to future therapies for atherosclerosis, potentially benefiting millions of patients.
Yan will pivot from Computational Biology to Biomedical Sciences