Jim Otvos
Encyclopedia
Jim Otvos is an academician/researcher/entrepreneur in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
.
From the late 1960s to early 1970s, the basic science work which led to sub-fractionation of lipoprotein particles (chylomicrons, VLDL
, IDL
, LDL
& HDL
, plus multiple sub-distinctions within these groupings) had been a breakthrough into how fats needed and manipulated by all cells in the body are carried by the water-based blood
transport system; work which led to a Nobel prize
in Medicine
in 1988. In the early 1990s, given increasing evidence and understanding of the role the many different lipoproteins (not cholesterol
per-se) played in the usual progression of atherosclerotic disease, Otvos began novel research work in using NMR spectroscopy to quantify the lipoproteins in first primate and then human plasma. This in turn led to giant decreases in cost while improving accuracy.
His work has led to several rewards for both accuracy and, even more importantly, for great reductions in the cost to patients of having quantitative lipoprotein fractionation; it is no longer just an expensive research tool but has become low enough in cost for most physicians and patients to use the methodology to greatly improve treatment strategies and greatly reducing cardiovascular event rates without resorting to only arterial bypass surgery or angioplasty/stents to treat the symptoms of advanced disease, often after the individual has become permanently disabled.
NMR spectroscopy
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy, is a research technique that exploits the magnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei to determine physical and chemical properties of atoms or the molecules in which they are contained...
.
From the late 1960s to early 1970s, the basic science work which led to sub-fractionation of lipoprotein particles (chylomicrons, VLDL
Very low density lipoprotein
Very-low-density lipoprotein is a type of lipoprotein made by the liver. VLDL is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins that enable fats and cholesterol to move within the water-based solution of the bloodstream...
, IDL
Intermediate density lipoprotein
Intermediate-density lipoproteins belong to the lipoprotein particle family and are formed from the degradation of very low-density lipoproteins. IDL is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins that enable fats and cholesterol to move within the water-based solution of the bloodstream...
, LDL
Low density lipoprotein
Low-density lipoprotein is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins, which in order of size, largest to smallest, are chylomicrons, VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL, that enable transport of cholesterol within the water-based bloodstream...
& HDL
High density lipoprotein
High-density lipoprotein is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins, which, in order of sizes, largest to smallest, are chylomicrons, VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL, which enable lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides to be transported within the water-based bloodstream...
, plus multiple sub-distinctions within these groupings) had been a breakthrough into how fats needed and manipulated by all cells in the body are carried by the water-based blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
transport system; work which led to a Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in 1988. In the early 1990s, given increasing evidence and understanding of the role the many different lipoproteins (not cholesterol
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...
per-se) played in the usual progression of atherosclerotic disease, Otvos began novel research work in using NMR spectroscopy to quantify the lipoproteins in first primate and then human plasma. This in turn led to giant decreases in cost while improving accuracy.
His work has led to several rewards for both accuracy and, even more importantly, for great reductions in the cost to patients of having quantitative lipoprotein fractionation; it is no longer just an expensive research tool but has become low enough in cost for most physicians and patients to use the methodology to greatly improve treatment strategies and greatly reducing cardiovascular event rates without resorting to only arterial bypass surgery or angioplasty/stents to treat the symptoms of advanced disease, often after the individual has become permanently disabled.
See also
- ArteryArteryArteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. This blood is normally oxygenated, exceptions made for the pulmonary and umbilical arteries....
- AtheromaAtheromaIn pathology, an atheroma is an accumulation and swelling in artery walls that is made up of macrophage cells, or debris, that contain lipids , calcium and a variable amount of fibrous connective tissue...
- AtherosclerosisAtherosclerosisAtherosclerosis is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol...
- Coronary circulationCoronary circulationCoronary circulation is the circulation of blood in the blood vessels of the heart muscle . The vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to the myocardium are known as coronary arteries...
- Cerebral circulationCerebral circulationCerebral circulation refers to the movement of blood through the network of blood vessels supplying the brain. The arteries deliver oxygenated blood, glucose and other nutrients to the brain and the veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart, removing carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and other...
- Peripheral circulation
- vein graft diseaseVein graft diseaseVein graft disease is a generic reference to the pregressive degradation and build up atheroma and clots within the ever thickening wall of veins which are used as arteries during surgical bypass operations...
, coronary artery bypass surgeryCoronary artery bypass surgeryCoronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
, great saphenous veinGreat saphenous veinThe great saphenous vein , also long saphenous vein, is the large superficial vein of the leg and thigh.The terms "safaina" and "el safin" have both been claimed as the origin for the word "saphenous."-Path:The GSV originates from where the dorsal vein of the first digit...
, vascular surgeryVascular surgeryVascular surgery is a specialty of surgery in which diseases of the vascular system, or arteries and veins, are managed by medical therapy, minimally-invasive catheter procedures, and surgical reconstruction. The specialty evolved from general and cardiac surgery... - LipoproteinLipoproteinA lipoprotein is a biochemical assembly that contains both proteins and lipids water-bound to the proteins. Many enzymes, transporters, structural proteins, antigens, adhesins, and toxins are lipoproteins...
- HDLHigh density lipoproteinHigh-density lipoprotein is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins, which, in order of sizes, largest to smallest, are chylomicrons, VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL, which enable lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides to be transported within the water-based bloodstream...
, LDL, IDLIntermediate density lipoproteinIntermediate-density lipoproteins belong to the lipoprotein particle family and are formed from the degradation of very low-density lipoproteins. IDL is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins that enable fats and cholesterol to move within the water-based solution of the bloodstream...
VLDL and ChylomicronsChylomicronChylomicrons are lipoprotein particles that consist of triglycerides , phospholipids , cholesterol and proteins .They transport dietary lipids from the intestines to other locations in the body... - ApoA-1 MilanoApoA-1 MilanoApoA-1 Milano is a naturally occurring mutated variant of the apolipoprotein A1 protein found in human HDL, the lipoprotein particle that carries cholesterol from tissues to the liver and is associated with protection against cardiovascular disease. ApoA1 Milano was first identified by Dr...