Molecular cardiovascular research

Cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction and stroke are the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 17 million deaths every year. They occur when atherosclerotic plaques rupture and cause obstruction in the arteries leading to lack of oxygen and nutrition in the heart or in the brain. Traditionally, atherosclerosis has been viewed as simple deposition of lipids within the vessel wall, however, it is now evident that atherosclerosis is a multifactorial disease that involves numerous genes activated during the initiation and progression of the disease.

We study molecular mechanisms involved in development and progression of atherosclerosis, with a special emphasis on inflammatory factors.