It goes by the acronym “D-PDMP,” because even medical researchers don’t like to spit out its chemical name: D-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol. Nine years ago, Japanese investigators reported that D-PDMP disrupted glycolipid biosynthesis by altering the lipid’s membrane structure. Now, Johns Hopkins scientists have shown that encapsulating D-PDMP in biodegradable nanoparticles allows this man-made drug, wrapped in polyethylene glycol and sebacic acid, to survive long enough to halt the progression of atherosclerosis and even reverse it in laboratory mice. MORE