Methods of Lipoprotein Subfractionation for Analyzing CVD
There is a story within a story of this piece which is about subfractionation of low density lipoproteins as indicators of cardiovascular disease risk, and why this process isn’t commonly done. The story within is about University of California professor John Gofman (1918-2007) who first reported in 1950 that low density lipoprotein (aka “bad cholesterol”) was directly related to CVD, while high density lipoprotein (aka “good cholesterol”) was inversely related, as shown using density gradient ultracentribugation. But Gofman, in his own lifetime, was better known for his studies of low dose radiation from atmospheric nuclear bomb testing. Indeed, his vigilance on that topic resulted in his dismissal as head of the Atomic Energy Commission’s Livermore Radiation Laboratory, because his superiors saw this science inhibiting the nuclear arms race with the USSR. MORE
Image Credit: University of Minnesota