Advancements in Cardiovascular Health

Welcome to our new literature update on laboratory biomarker development in major diseases.

SYNLAB is thrilled to present the first edition, which highlights groundbreaking advancements in cardiovascular disease. We explore cutting-edge research that unravels novel biomarkers, shedding light on early detection, prognosis, and targeted therapies for heart-related conditions. Follow our newsletter and stay tuned for the upcoming, where we'll delve into the latest discoveries shaping the future of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Join us as we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of medical research, bringing you the most promising developments in the field.

Recent key publications
 

1) Lipid distributions in the Global Diagnostics Network across five continents.
Eur Heart J 2023; 44:2305-2318. Martin SS, Niles JK, Kaufman HW et al.

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The SYNLAB sponsored study aimed to understand the variation in lipid profiles across different countries to improve knowledge about cardiovascular risk and interventions, finding wide variations in lipid levels that can inform policies and approaches to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease globally.

2) The German CaRe high registry for familial hypercholesterolemia – Sex differences, treatment strategies, and target value attainment.
Atheroscler Plus 2023; 53:6-15. März W, Schmidt N, An Haack I et al.

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Data collected in the CaRe high registry shows that in Germany, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is under-treated with only a small percentage of patients reaching cholesterol goals set by the ESC/EAS guidelines, while higher treatment intensity is associated with male gender, genetic diagnosis, specialist treatment, and the presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

3) Metabolomic Profiles, Ideal Cardiovascular Health, and Risk of Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From the Framingham Heart Study.
J Am Heart Assoc 2023; 12:e028022. Li Y, Gray A, Xue L et al.

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The study found that certain metabolites were associated with ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) score, and these metabolites partially mediated the relationship between CVH score and the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF), suggesting that metabolomics can provide insights into how CVH status contributes to the development of AF and HF.

4) Genomic Innovation in Early Life Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment.
Circ Res 2023; 132:1628-1647. Li C, Pan Y, Zhang R et al.

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major global health issue, with risk factors developing early in life, and recent advances in genomics offer promising opportunities for early detection, prevention, and treatment of both monogenic and polygenic CVD, emphasising the importance of leveraging genomics for precision approaches in managing CVD across the lifespan.

5) Sex Differences in Cardiac Troponin Trajectories Over the Life Course.
Circulation 2023; 147:1798-1808. de Bakker M, Anand A, Shipley M et al.

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The study found that the trajectories of cardiac troponin, a heart disease marker, vary between women and men over time and have differing associations with conventional risk factors and cardiovascular outcomes, emphasising the need for a sex-specific approach in serial cardiac troponin testing for cardiovascular risk prediction.

6) Progress in the Optical Sensing of Cardiac Biomarkers.
Biosensors (Basel) 2023; 13: 632. Polonschii C, Potara M, Iancu M et al.

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In the field of cardiovascular disease (CVD), biomarkers are crucial for diagnosis, risk assessment, treatment, and monitoring, and recent advancements in optical biosensors and assays have focused on multiplexing, simplicity, affordability, speed, and innovation, including the use of smaller sample volumes and alternative matrices like saliva, and comparing optical biosensors with standard methods using larger clinical sample sets, while future goals include AI-assisted biomarker discovery, more stable recognition elements, and fast, inexpensive readers and disposable tests for convenient home testing.