Harry Björkbacka
Age-associated B cells in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease
Age-related B cells, also known as atypical B cells (ABCs), are a recently discovered type of B cells that increase in number with age and are common in those living with autoimmune diseases. We have recently discovered in a population study that an increased number of ABC cells in the blood is associated with an increased risk of having a heart attack. This finding has raised the question of whether ABC cells actively contribute to cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis, or is their presence only an indicator of increased risk of cardiovascular disease? The aim of our research is to further investigate whether ABC cells can serve as valuable markers for the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease, and whether they directly contribute to disease processes leading to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, which would make ABC cells a target for future treatments.
Selected publications
Tomas L, Katra P, Badn W, Andersson L, Nilsson J, Schiopu A, Engelbertsen D, Gonçalves I, Bengtsson E, Björkbacka H. Invariant natural killer T cells and incidence of first-time coronary events: a nested case-control study. European Heart Journal Open (2023) 3, oead094.
Katra P, Hennings V, Nilsson J, Engström G, Engelbertsen D, Bengtsson E, Björkbacka H. Plasma levels of CCL21, but not CCL19, independently predict future coronary events in a prospective population-based cohort. Atherosclerosis (2023) 366, 1-7.
Tomas L, Bengtsson E, Andersson L, Badn W, Tengryd C, Persson A, Edsfeldt A, Nilsson PM, Schiopu A, Nilsson J, Goncalves I, Björkbacka H. Low levels of CD4+CD28null T cells at baseline are associated with first-time coronary events in a prospective population-based case-control cohort. Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (2020) 40, 426-436.
Rattik S, Engelbertsen D, Wigren M, Ljungcrantz I, Östling G, Persson M, Fredrikson GN, Bengtsson E, Nilsson J and Björkbacka H. Elevated circulating effector memory T cells but similar levels of regulatory T cells in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Diabetic Vascular Disease Research (2019) 16, 270-280.
Tomas L, Edsfeldt A, Mollet I, Matic LP, Prehn C, Adamski J, Paulsson-Berne G, Hedin U, Nilsson J, Bengtsson E, Gonçalves I, Björkbacka H. Altered metabolism distinguishes high-risk from stable carotid atherosclerotic plaques European Heart Journal (2018) 39, 2301-2310.