APOE and atherosclerosis: He fed rabbits pure cholesterol contained in diet, and observed severe atherosclerosis in aortas of the animals.10 In history, Robert Wissler and coworkers set up the first mouse model for atherosclerosis in 1960s.11 Now, the mice with genetic manipulation, such as ApoE or LDLR deficient mice, is the most frequently-used animal model for investigation on atherosclerosis based on the time and cost issues.