What is it about?

LDL particles accumulate in the arterial wall, where they become modified and aggregate. We developed a novel assay to measure the susceptibility of plasma LDL particles to aggregate. Importantly, we found that among patients with an established coronary artery disease the presence of aggregation-prone LDL was predictive of future cardiovascular deaths. We further found that differences in the composition of LDL determine their susceptibility for aggregation. The quality of LDL could be improved by a healthy diet or by cholesterol-lowerin medication (PCSK9 inhibition).

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Why is it important?

There is a need for new approaches when diagnosing patients with unrecognized risk for cardiovascular disease events. We think that the the measurement of LDL aggregation susceptibility could be used as a novel biomarker of cardiovascular risk that may add predictive power to the conventional risk estimation. The biomarker may facilitate identification of patients who would benefit most from aggressive LDL-lowering therapies.

Perspectives

A long journey - but so worth it. I'm really proud of the whole group for getting this huge piece of work published.

Dr Katariina Öörni
Wihuri Research Institute

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This page is a summary of: Susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein particles to aggregate depends on particle lipidome, is modifiable, and associates with future cardiovascular deaths, European Heart Journal, July 2018, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy319.
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