Biomarkers and genetics of non-invasive vascular function in cardiovascular disease -from biology to prevention

动脉粥样硬化性心血管疾病（如心肌梗死、中风）是世界上导致死亡和残疾的头号原因。我们才刚刚开始了解社区动脉粥样硬化的病理生理学和不同的易感性。动脉粥样硬化早期的特点是仍然可逆的血管功能障碍。这项研究的目的是检测疾病的易感性和疾病的早期，可逆阶段，以便预防和及时干预。我们将采用一种结合遗传学、生物标志物和非侵入性血管功能测量的方法，对最初健康的个体（古登堡心脏研究）和明显心血管疾病的患者进行前瞻性队列研究。大血管和微血管的形态和动态变化将与全基因组多态性的微阵列数据和来自广泛问卷调查的环境信息相关。整合新发现的和经典的危险因素数据以及与疾病发病率的关联，可能会提高目前的风险评分，以加强先发制人的、个性化的心血管医学，并确定预防目标。与独立研究的国际合作将用于在大规模队列中重复研究结果。

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (e.g. myocardial infarction, stroke) is the number one cause of death and disability in the world. We are only beginning to understand the pathophysiology and differential susceptibility for atherosclerosis in the community. Early stages of atherosclerosis are characterized by still reversible vascular dysfunction. The aim of this research is to detect the predisposition for the disease and early, reversible stages of disease to allow prevention and timely intervention. We will use an approach that combines genetics, biomarkers and non-invasively measured vascular function in prospective cohort studies of initially healthy individuals (Gutenberg Heart Study) and patients with manifest cardiovascular disease. Morphologic and dynamic changes in large vessels and the microvasculature will be correlated with micro-array data of genome-wide polymorphisms and environmental information from extensive questionnaires. The integration of newly detected and classical risk factor data and the association with incidence of disease may improve current risk scores to enhance pre-emptive, personalized cardiovascular medicine and to identify targets for prevention. International collaborations with independent studies will be used to replicate findings in large-scale cohorts.