About Us

Currently, lipid panels around the world includes four types of lipids: total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The concentration of LDL in plasma is estimated by the "Friedewald equation (LDL = TC - HDL - 1/5 TG)." Since this result is not directly measured, it has inherent limitations and inaccuracies.

In 1979, Professor Gotto (HEART Chairman, Board of Scientific Directors) from Baylor College of Medicine published a journal article that first proposed the concept of "electronegative low-density lipoprotein." Subsequently, the founder of our company, Professor Chu-Huang Chen, classified LDL into five subclasses based on their electronegativity, namely L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 and published the result in Circulation. L5 is the most electronegative and the most harmful LDL. It binds to LOX-1 (Lectin-like oxLDL receptor) and induces apoptosis. The accumulated endothelial cells on the vessel walls are one of the causes of cardiovascular diseases.

In recent years, many scientists have been studying another LOX-1 ligand, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). Both oxLDL and L5 activate similar signaling pathways and cause cardiovascular risk diseases such as atherosclerosis. However, since oxLDL is synthesized outside the body and not naturally occurring in humans, whereas L5 is naturally synthesized within the human body, L5 is the correct indicator for diagnostic purposes.

In the clinical data of patients with acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, although their LDL-C concentration is lower, the proportion of L5 is significantly higher. Additionally, in the plasma of patients with autoimmune-related diseases (such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis), the LDL-C value is usually normal, but L5 is elevated. These experimental results demonstrate that L5 is a more accurate predictor of cardiovascular disease risk compared to LDL-C.

Our research indicates the importance of determining changes in lipoprotein subfractions. Therefore, our company has developed a new lipid testing module— HEART Lipids, which can directly measure the concentrations of LDL, HDL, and their subfractions (L1~L5; H1~H5) in human plasma. With more accurate test values, more precise treatment plans can be formulated for clinical applications.