Bruna Gigante

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases are the first cause of death and disability in Europe. Atherosclerosis is a silent killer: it progressively infiltrates the vascular wall and suddenly becomes evident with acute and potentially deadly events, such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke which represent the bulk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Evolution of atherosclerosis is influenced by the interplay of multiple genetic and environmental factors, yet prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease are standardized. Therefore, we need to better define the mechanisms underlying the individual evolution of the atherosclerotic disease. We integrated individual clinical, imaging, and molecular data to identify atherosclerosis-related subtypes, hereafter referred to as endotypes, in 3000 individuals free of overt cardiovascular diseases. We identified four endotypes each one associated with a distinct atherosclerosis risk profile. Our overarching aim is to investigate if endotypes can be implemented in clinical practice for precision medicine. To this end, we will investigate if endotypes can identify those individuals prone to suffer from severe carotid and coronary atherosclerosis and thereby at higher risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Our results will give a clear indication of the clinical utility of an endotype based approach and show how precision medicine can be implemented in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Biomarkers in blood and risk prediction for heart attack<br/><br/>In this project, we are trying to find biomarkers in blood that reflect the degree of atherosclerosis in the heart, and test whether these biomarkers can help us improve risk prediction models for heart attack. Project status report 2024<br/>In 2024, we expanded our research project by exploring proteins as potential new risk markers for heart attack. In particular, we have added an extra focus on identifying female-specific risk markers and developing risk prediction algorithms adapted to women. This choice is based on our preliminary findings, which indicate significant gender differences in which blood markers are associated with heart attack risk in men and women.<br/><br/>We have not published new articles in this project in 2024. This is due, among other things, to the fact that a key member of the research group has been on maternity leave, and that the research group leader has had time off to prepare two major funding applications. These factors have caused some delays in the progress of the project.<br/><br/>As of today, we have one scientific article from the project under peer review in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. In addition, we are preparing another article that will soon be submitted for publication.<br/><br/>We expect to resume full-scale research activities in 2025 and look forward to further progress in the project.<br/>