Scientists have been unable to come up with medications that reliably raise levels of “good” (HDL) cholesterol in the blood, so some researchers want to boost HDL levels using a different tool: synthetic HDL. A recent paper demonstrated the feasibility of such an approach by creating an HDL-like particle whose size and surface composition are like those of cholesterol—but with a core of gold.
Source: Journal of the American Chemical Society, Feb. 4, 2009

Learn more about the good and the bad cholesterol.