HAMILTON — A study conducted by researchers at McMaster University, published in Science Advances on July 6, 2026, identifies an immune and metabolic mechanism driving statin-induced muscle damage. Experiments demonstrated that blocking this immune response prevented much of the muscle damage.

Researchers found that statins can disrupt how muscle cells produce energy. This disruption triggers an immune response that damages muscle tissue. Jonathan Schertzer, a professor in McMaster University's Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, was the senior author of the study. Nazli Robin and Nicole Barra were the first authors.

Statin-associated muscle symptoms affect an estimated 7 to 29 percent of people who take the medications. "Statins are among the most effective medications we have for reducing cardiovascular disease risk and preventing early death," Schertzer said. "Unfortunately, muscle side-effects lead some people to reduce their dose or stop taking the medication altogether."

Schertzer said researchers wanted to understand why muscle side effects happen and whether it might be possible to separate the side effects from the benefits. "One of the most exciting findings of the research is that the mechanism causing muscle side-effects appears to be separate from the mechanism that lowers cholesterol," he said. The research involved collaborations with the Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie (CIRI) in Lyon, France; the Centre for Muscle Research at the University of Melbourne, Australia; the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia; The Royal Children's Hospital in Australia; and York University in Canada. McMaster University's Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine also contributed.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funded the research.