We used the apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE−/−) mouse, a well-characterized pre-clinical model that replicates all recognized stages of human atherosclerosis and accumulates aortic atheromas.[23,24] Aortas from ApoE−/− mice fed an atherogenic high-fat diet[25] were harvested and perfused with fluorescently labeled Apo-NPep formulations (Figure 2l). This evidence concerns the gene AOPEP and atherosclerosis.