To study mechanisms of statin-mediated plaque regression, we induced atherosclerosis in APOE*3-Leiden.CETP mice by feeding a 1.25% cholesterol diet (high-cholesterol diet, HCD) over 12 weeks, accelerating plaque formation, followed by 4 weeks of 0.05% cholesterol diet (low-cholesterol diet, LCD) to lower plasma cholesterol levels to about 10 mmol/L, that would allow for lipid normalization by subsequent therapeutic intervention. Here, CETP is linked to atherosclerosis.