Traces Thursday spotlights how statins came from mold research

Stand Up for Science released part five of its “Traces Thursday” series on Sept. 25, 2026, using the history of statins to show how decades of basic research led to the most prescribed drug class in the U.S. The story argues the breakthrough underscores why sustained federal science funding matters.

Why it matters: - Statins are used to treat high cholesterol and heart disease, and they are now the most-prescribed drug class in the U.S. - The story frames statins as a case study in how basic research can lead to major public health gains only after decades of work. - The series aims to support the case for sustained biomedical research funding amid debate over federal science spending.

What happened: - Stand Up for Science published part five of “Traces Thursday” on Sept. 25, 2026. - The new installment is titled “Cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.” - The piece traces the science behind statins, including how researchers moved from understanding cholesterol biology to developing a treatment that lowers cholesterol by targeting a key enzyme. - The article centers on historical work that connected cholesterol to cardiovascular disease and led to the first statin approval.

The details: - Cholesterol is a natural building block in cells, but excess cholesterol in the blood can form plaque and contribute to heart disease and heart attacks. - Research linking cholesterol and heart disease dates to the 1900s. - Scientists did not fully understand the cholesterol-making pathway until the mid-1960s, when researchers identified the enzyme that controls the pace of the process. - That enzyme became the target for statin drugs. - Building on the discovery of penicillin from mold, a biochemist screened thousands of mold extracts for compounds that could inhibit the cholesterol enzyme. - In 1972, that biochemist isolated compactin, a potent inhibitor of the enzyme. - Drug companies later developed the compound further. - The FDA approved the first statin, lovastatin, in 1987. - Today, about a quarter of the U.S. population takes a statin to lower cholesterol. - The drug class has essentially halved annual cardiovascular deaths. - The series is part of a twelve-part weekly run. - The series is written by Berg, former director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at NIH and former editor-in-chief of Science magazine. - Berg now serves on Stand Up for Science’s Board of Advisors.

Between the lines: - The story is doing more than recounting drug history; it is drawing a policy lesson about the long timeline of scientific discovery. - The emphasis on foundational research suggests the organization is trying to connect a medical success story to current fights over science budgets. - The statin example is especially useful because the payoff is concrete, measurable and widely felt in everyday medicine.

What's next: - Stand Up for Science plans to publish the next “Traces Thursday” post on the Science Fight Club Substack next Thursday. - Berg is available for comment. - The broader twelve-part series will continue to highlight additional examples of long-term research leading to major treatments.

The bottom line: - The statin story is meant to show that some of medicine’s biggest wins start with slow, basic science and pay off only after years of sustained investment.