Latest Klaus Ley Stories

Researcher finds autoimmune response contributes to inflammation in the artery wall Most people probably know that heart disease remains the nation's No. 1 killer. But what many may be surprised to learn is that cholesterol has a major accomplice in causing dangerous arterial plaque buildup that can trigger a heart attack. The culprit? Inflammatory cells produced by the immune system. A number of research studies have demonstrated inflammation's role in fueling plaque buildup, also...

Novel mechanism plays major role in inflammation Like detectives seeking footprints and other clues on a television "whodunit," science can also benefit from analyzing the tracks of important players in the body's molecular landscape. Klaus Ley, M.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, has done just that and illuminated a key step in the journey of inflammation-producing immune cells. The finding provides powerful, previously unknown information about...

U.S. medical researchers say they are focusing on a new approach in the fight against heart disease. Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology say statins -- cholesterol-lowering drugs -- have lowered the number of people who suffer from heart disease and heart attacks. "We hope we can bite off another chunk by controlling the impact of inflammation-causing immune cells on the artery wall," said Dr. Klaus Ley, director of the institute's recently created Inflammation...