Statins boost the macrophage eat-me signal to keep atherosclerosis at bay

Statins continue to make a difference and are here to stay. A new study by the Leeper lab provides further evidence that statins can function beyond inhibition of cholesterol synthesis through increasing the rate of macrophage efferocytosis, via a reduction in the ‘don’t eat me’ signal CD47, thereby decreasing the atherosclerotic plaque burden.