European Researchers Come Together to Combat Atherosclerosis, The Silent Killer
In an effort to tackle the world's leading cause of death, a collaborative initiative between Denmark and Spain has launched a significant research project aimed at combating atherosclerosis. With a substantial funding boost of 23 million Euros from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, this initiative seeks to revolutionise early detection and prevention methods for a disease that claims one in three lives globally.
Atherosclerosis is a condition where the arteries become narrowed and hardened due to a buildup of plaque, a mixture of fat, cholesterol, and other substances. This process can start at an early age and often remains unnoticed until it leads to severe health issues like heart attacks or strokes. The "silent" nature of atherosclerosis makes it a formidable opponent, as individuals may feel perfectly healthy while the disease progresses unchecked.
Dr Henning Bundgaard, Chief Physician and Professor at the Department of Cardiology at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen emphasises the urgency of addressing this silent threat. "Atherosclerosis may develop from an early age and often remain silent'' for many years until it suddenly hits, for example, with a heart attack," he explains. The new project, named, REACT, aims to identify methods to detect atherosclerosis during this silent period, which could significantly reduce the incidence of sudden cardiovascular events.
REACT stands for "Risk Evaluation and Early Detection of Atherosclerosis to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease," is a collaboration between Danish hospitals and the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) in Spain. CNIC is renowned for its expertise in imaging diagnostics for atherosclerosis, and together with Rigshospitalet, they have a long history of developing innovative methods for early detection of cardiovascular diseases.
Dr Borja Ibáñez, Scientific Director of CNIC and a cardiologist at Fundación Jiménez Díaz Hospital, outlines the current challenges in diagnosing atherosclerosis. "At present, we use factors like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, age, and lifestyle to estimate the risk of atherosclerosis," he says. However, these are indirect measures, and the goal of REACT is to develop large-scale methods to directly visualise the disease.
The initiative plans to involve 16,000 individuals, with 8,000 participants from each country ranging in age from 20 to 70. The first phase will include comprehensive imaging of arteries in the neck, groin, and coronary arteries, along with genetic analysis and blood tests. This extensive data collection aims to uncover the prevalence of atherosclerosis in different parts of the body and determine the best early detection methods.
The ultimate goal of REACT is prevention. By identifying atherosclerosis and its risk factors early, the project hopes to enable preventive measures, whether through medications or lifestyle changes, tailored to an individual's risk profile. This personalised approach, called precision medicine, represents a significant shift from the traditional reactive treatment model to a proactive prevention strategy.
Martin Ridderstråle, Senior Vice President at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, highlights the importance of this paradigm shift. "The study represents a shift in paradigm from the traditional treatment of diseases to detection and prevention at early stages, that is before serious or potentially life-threatening disease presents."
The first phase of REACT is crucial for establishing a baseline understanding of atherosclerosis and refining detection methods. Depending on the results, the project aims to move into a second phase that will explore the effectiveness of treating early-detected atherosclerosis in preventing deaths. This next step, projected to last 5.5 years, could pave the way for global implementation of early detection and personalised prevention strategies, potentially saving millions of lives.