Anders Hamsten
Based on genome-wide screening of patients with early-onset coronary artery disease, we aim at discovering and characterising novel genes, gene variants and proteins that predispose to atherosclerosis and thrombosis in coronary arteries as well as at elucidating their roles in the disease process. This knowledge will subsequently be used for improvement of risk prediction and for identification of target molecules for drug development. Different experimental strategies, applied on humans and model systems, are first employed to reveal the biological functions of novel susceptibility genes and then followed by large-scale clinical studies to verify the relevance of the discoveries made. This research programme will increase our understanding of the causes of coronary artery disease, create novel tools for risk assessment and pave the way for novel treatment strategies.