Videos

In the first video commentary from our Back to Basics Slide Deck Resource, Lp(a) Forum Co-Chair, Professor John Chapman, discusses the key advances in understanding of Lp(a) and its atherogenic properties that put Lp(a) on the map for scientists and clinicians,  and he considers the important questions that remain and their implications for future patient care.

Lp(a) Forum Co-Chair, Professor John Chapman, turns the spotlight on the accumulating observational, genetic and mechanistic evidence supporting Lp(a) as an independent, causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and discusses the promise of novel Lp(a)-lowering agents in development.

Lp(a) Forum Co-Chair, Professor Henry Ginsberg, explains why the time is right to focus on Lp(a) as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and to ensure that current knowledge and news of future advances are accessible to clinicians and researchers worldwide.

Lp(a) Forum Co-Chair, Professor John Chapman, invites you to join Lp(a) Forum for open access to multimedia educational resources about Lp(a) science, management and research.

People of African, South Asian and Hispanic descent typically have higher levels of Lp(a) and more atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease than other populations. Yet, they frequently miss out on essential healthcare interventions …

Professor Ioanna Gouni-Berthold, University of Cologne, Germany, discusses recently published and ongoing studies of antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNAs and small molecules targeting Lp(a).

As Lp(a) Forum celebrates its first year since launch, Dr Elias Björnson, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, picks some memorable scientific advances and clinical developments in the field of Lp(a) research during the past 12 months and looks forward to further investigations that will translate these findings into real world practice.

Professor Keith Ferdinand, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA, explains the importance of Lp(a) testing at least once in a patient’s life.

Professor Marc Dweck, University of Edinburgh, UK, reports recent imaging research that links Lp(a) to progression of the most unstable coronary plaques.

Professor Florian Kronenberg, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, shows how the genetics of Lp(a) is informing links with cardiovascular outcomes.

More than 1 billion people worldwide are likely to have elevated Lp(a) but levels vary with ethnicity and gender. Professor Pia Kamstrup, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark discusses the evidence and its implications for cardiovascular risk in different populations.

A growing body of research supports the association between elevated Lp(a) and cardiovascular disease. Dr Anne Langsted, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, considers the pivotal studies that are shaping current clinical practice and future expectations.

Until recent years, Lp(a) has lagged behind other atherogenic lipoproteins in the development of targeted lipid lowering therapies. That is now changing, as Professor Ioanna Gouni-Berthold, University of Cologne, Germany explains.

Professor Steve Nissen, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA, reports data from a single ascending dose study investigating the safety and Lp(a) lowering effects of lepodisiran in patients without cardiovascular disease but with Lp(a) levels ≥75 nmol/L (≥30 mg/dL).

Professor Keith Ferdinand, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA, discusses the advantages of Lp(a) testing for patients and their families.

Professor Benoit Arsenault, Laval University, Québec, Canada, looks at the pathological mechanisms through which Lp(a) contributes to the development of calcific aortic valve stenosis, and reviews remaining questions about the potential impact of Lp(a) reduction.

Dr Anne Langsted, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, presents genetic and observational research investigating whether low levels of Lp(a) are associated with increased risk of cancer, infectious diseases, mental disorders, and diabetes.

Professor Marc Dweck, University of Edinburgh, UK, reviews recent advances in the use of contrast CT scans to quantify total coronary plaque volume and burden, and the burden of plaque subtypes, and looks at the impact of Lp(a) on plaque progression.

Dr Pia Kamstrup, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, considers the relationship between Lp(a) and LDL-C on cardiovascular disease risk, as indicated by epidemiological and other studies, and the residual risk related to Lp(a) when LDL-C levels are low.

Professor Børge Nordestgaard, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, discusses the evidence showing that Lp(a) is a causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and aortic stenosis, as well as cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

Professor Steve Nissen, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA, reports results of a single ascending dose study of the siRNA, zerlasiran (SLN36), in participants with elevated Lp(a), which demonstrate the safety and efficacy of zerlasiran and support its further development.

Dr Michael Koren, Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research, Florida, USA, describes the research programme for the siRNA, olpasiran, including preclinical and Phase 1 and 2 trial data supporting its pharmacokinetic, safety and efficacy profile in targeting Lp(a).

Professor Sotirios Tsimikas, University of California, San Diego, USA, and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, discusses the development of the antisense oligonucleotide, pelacarsen, including preclinical and clinical data, and the aims of the Lp(a) HORIZON outcomes study.

Professor Joseph Witzum, University of California, San Diego, USA, provides a comprehensive review of Lp(a) research in cardiovascular disease, including initial findings with the antisense oligonucleotide, pelacarsen, in reducing Lp(a), and its ongoing clinical trials programme.

Professor Erik Stroes, Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands, explores the changing landscape in the cardiovascular arena, including growing understanding of the role of elevated Lp(a) as a causal risk factor and its inclusion in routine cardiovascular risk assessment.