Italian researchers have discovered the gene for arteriosclerosis and devised a treatment to "switch it off" and prevent heart disease. The gene is responsible for producing a protein that in turn produces oxidant molecules that damage the walls of the heart, veins and arteries.

The discovery was made by a team from the Life Sciences Institute at Pisa's prestigious Sant'Anna School for Advanced Studies specializing in applied sciences, the National Research Council's (CNR) Institute for Clinical Physiology, and the Gabriele Monasterio Foundation for medical research and public health.

Source: http://www.ansa.it/