Cardiovascular Genetics and Genomics
Cardiovascular diseases arising from atherosclerosis constitute the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Sweden and are expected to be the quantitatively largest group of lethal diseases globally within the next two decades. However, the atherosclerotic process and its complications remain enigmatic and the opportunities for prevention and therapy are limited. The cardiovascular genetics group at CMM focuses on discovering genes, gene variants, proteins and biological mechanisms predisposing to atherosclerosis and thrombosis in coronary arteries or to aortic aneurysm formation. Our international competitive edge derives from a combination of cutting-edge methodology for detailed molecular studies on model systems and humans and access to DNA, tissue specimens and blood samples from large cohorts of representative and carefully characterised patients and healthy volunteers from the general population.
Research Teams
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The overarching objective of the Hamsten team is to identify and functionally characterise genes, genetic variants, proteins and biological pathways that confer susceptibility to atherosclerosis and thrombosis of coronary arteries with ensuing risk of myocardial infarction.
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The aim of the Ehrenborg team is to characterize physiological and molecular consequences of genetic variability in important proteins involved in the development of cardiovascular metabolic diseases and investigate the regulation of these proteins.
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The objective of the Eriksson team is to study the pathology of aortic aneurysm growth and rupture. Studies include molecular and cell biology, mice models, human biopsies and human genetics that will enable investigation of different stages of the disease.
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Rachel Fisher investigates why fat tissue becomes inflamed, which is important for understanding the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
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Lars Maegdefessel’s research team is focused on the therapeutic and biomarker potential of microRNAs and other epigenetic modulators in vascular disease and its underlying (patho-)mechanisms, such as atherosclerosis, myointimal hyperplasia, fibrosis, and thrombosis.
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Our mission is to understand cellular mechanisms behind the translation of receptor signals and their integration into signaling networks. Achieving temporal and spatial organization between receptor pathways and effectors is essential for reaching specificity and for avoiding deletereous crosstalk. Major goals are to better define mechanisms of disease that could lead to reliable therapeutic approaches within the areas of hypertension and cardiovascular complications.