Jan Borén
Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and cardiovascular disease
Elevated blood lipids are one of the main risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. However, it is important to remember that standard treatment with statins 'only' halves the risk. The reasons for this 'residual risk' have therefore been discussed and it has recently been shown that triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and their breakdown products are strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, even in patients with normal total cholesterol. Our research group has been studying the metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins for a long time, and we have developed methods and clinical protocols for this research. These are now becoming crucial in the ongoing studies where we are using unusual genetic variants to understand how disturbances in lipoprotein metabolism result in cardiovascular disease. These studies are important for understanding how to treat patients with elevated blood triglyceride levels.
5 selected publications
Björnson E, Adiels M, Taskinen MR, Burgess S, Chapman MJ, Packard CJ, Borén Lipoprotein(a) Is Markedly More Atherogenic Than LDL: An Apolipoprotein B-Based Genetic Analysis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024 Jan 23;83(3):385-395
Taskinen MR, Matikainen N, Björnson E, Söderlund S, Inkeri J, Hakkarainen A, Parviainen H, Sihlbom C, Thorsell A, Andersson L, Adiels M, Packard CJ, Borén J. Contribution of intestinal triglyceride-rich lipoproteins to residual atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes on statin therapy. Diabetologia. 2023 Dec;66(12):2307-2319
Björnson E, Adiels M, Taskinen MR, Burgess S, Rawshani A, Borén J, Packard CJ. Triglyceride-rich lipoprotein remnants, low-density lipoproteins, and risk of coronary heart disease: a UK Biobank study. Eur Heart J. 2023 Oct 14;44(39):4186-4195
Taskinen MR, Björnson E, Matikainen N, Söderlund S, Rämö J, Ainola MM, Hakkarainen A, Sihlbom C, Thorsell A, Andersson L, Bergh PO, Henricsson M, Romeo S, Adiels M, Ripatti S, Laakso M, Packard CJ, Borén J. Postprandial metabolism of apolipoproteins B48, B100, C-III, and E in humans with APOC3 loss-of-function mutations. JCI Insight. 2022 Oct 10;7(19):e160607
Borén J, Taskinen MR, Björnson E, Packard CJ. Metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in health and dyslipidaemia. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2022 Sep;19(9):577-592.