Peter Engel Thomas - PhD Scholarship 2022
Project summary:
How does lipoprotein(a) cause cardiovascular and other vascular diseases?
High blood level of lipoprotein(a) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and about 20% of the European population have elevated levels. High lipoprotein(a) may also be a risk factor for other vascular diseases. Yet, how lipoprotein(a) causes cardiovascular disease is not known. This project will investigate how elevated lipoprotein(a) causes cardiovascular disease and if elevated lipoprotein(a) is a risk factor for other vascular diseases.
Project title
Lipoprotein(a) and cardiovascular disease – the role of systemic low-grade inflammation, lipoprotein(a) cholesterol, and apoB
Background
High lipoprotein(a) is a causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease but may also be associated with higher risk of peripheral arterial disease and abdominal aortic aneurysms. How lipoprotein(a) causes cardiovascular disease is nevertheless unclear. Recent evidence points to a synergistic effect of systemic inflammation and lipoprotein(a) on risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, it is unclear whether it is the cholesterol content of lipoprotein(a) or the particle itself that causes cardiovascular disease.
Aim
We will investigate if systemic low-grade inflammation and elevated lipoprotein(a) interact on the risk of cardiovascular disease, whether it is the cholesterol content of lipoprotein(a) or the particle itself that causes cardiovascular disease, and whether elevated lipoprotein(a) is associated with risk of peripheral arterial disease and abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Methods
To investigate these aims we will use the Copenhagen General Population study and the Copenhagen City Heart Study, both prospective cohorts of ~120.000 individuals with health information, blood samples, including lipoprotein(a) measurements, genetic analyses, and diagnoses during more than 10 years of follow-up.
Peter Engel Thomas
- MD
- University of Copenhagen, Department of Clinical Medicine & Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Department of Clinical Biochemistry
Main supervisor:
Professor Børge G. Nordestgaard, chief physician, MD, DMSc, Department of Clinical Biochemistry. Herlev and Gentofte Hospital and Copenhagen University Hospital
Co-supervisors:
Consultant Signe Vedel Krogh, MD, PhD, Department of Clinical Biochemistry Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital
Head of Department Pia R. Kamstrup, MD, PhD, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital