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 Sekar Kathiresan, MD |
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Science
The goals of our laboratory are to:
- 1. Discover genetic variants associated with risk of myocardial infarction (MI).
- 2. Discover genetic variants associated with quantitative risk factor traits: blood lipids (low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein AI, small LDL particle concentration) and thrombosis/metabolic biomarkers (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, tissue plasminogen activator, factor VII, fibrinogen, and von Willebrand factor).
- 3. Translate genetic discoveries to patients: stratify disease into phenotypic subsets and conduct genotype-driven interventional clinical trials.
The following are current research projects focused on the above goals:
- 1. Myocardial Infarction Genetics Consortium (MIGen) - With collaborators, we are investigating the inherited basis for early-onset myocardial infarction through a genome-wide association study of 1500 patients with early-onset myocardial infarction and 1500 matched controls. This work is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Center for Research Resources, and the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation.
 Figure 1. MIGen in an international consortium composed of collaborators from Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, USA), University of Washington (Seattle, USA), Lund University (Malmo, Sweden), University of Helsinki/National Public Health Institute (Helsinki, Finland), Institut Municipal d’Investigacio Medica (Barcelona, Spain), Leibniz Institute for Atherosclerosis Research (Munster, Germany), and University of Leicester (Leicester, UK).- 2. Genetics of blood lipids - Using genome-wide association methodology, we are studying the genetic determinants of blood lipids levels in population-based and case-control studies.
- 3. Genetics of thrombosis/metabolic Biomarker Levels - Using genome-wide association methodology, we are attempting to define the genetic determinants of the following biomarkers (PAI-1, tPA, fVII, fibrinogen, and vWF) measured in a community-based cohort (Framingham Heart Study).
- 4. Osteoprotegerin Pathway and Cardiovascular Disease - We are testing the hypothesis that population variation in the osteoprotegerin pathway genotypes and biomarkers levels influences the risk of developing atherosclerotic vascular remodeling and/or clinical cardiovascular disease in a community-based cohort (Framingham Heart Study). This work is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
- 5. Aortic and mitral valve calcification - We are studying the relationship of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory biomarkers to the presence of aortic and mitral valve calcium detected by cardiac multi-detector computed tomography in a community-based cohort (Framingham Heart Study). This work is funded by the GlaxoSmithKline Research & Education Foundation for Cardiovascular Disease and Merck/American College of Cardiology Foundation.
Publications
Click here to view Sekar Kathiresan's publications »
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