Researchers believe testing the levels of certain antibodies in the blood could soon help identify patients with “vulnerable” or life-threatening plaques in their heart arteries.New research funded with us In press with JACC: Cardiovascular Imagingfound that people with higher levels of certain types of antibodies had lower levels of dangerous fatty plaques in their arteries, reducing their risk of heart attack.

Antibodies are proteins produced by the body’s immune system as a defense against bacteria, viruses, and other dangers. In the patients studied, the immune system is triggered to produce antibodies against a type of cholesterol found in dangerous plaque.

Antibody tests are already easy to perform in laboratories, but need refinement before they can be used in the clinic. Researchers say that within three to four years, the technology could be available nationwide to assess a person’s risk of developing heart and circulatory disease.

“Improving accuracy in saving lives”

Dr Adam Hartley, a researcher at the Khamis Institute at Imperial College London’s National Heart and Lung Research Institute and one of the study’s lead authors, said: “Using antibody blood tests as indicators of dangerous plaque levels could certainly improve the accuracy of physicians’ risk predictions.

“This simple, quick blood test could become a new way to discover dangerous atherosclerosis, which many people don’t know they have. It could help inform treatment decisions. can improve outcomes and save lives.”

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty plaques on the walls of arteries. If the plaque ruptures, a deadly blood clot can form, cutting off the blood supply to the heart and brain. Atherosclerosis is common and causes most heart attacks and strokes, but most people are unaware that they have it.

Plaques can be detected using CT scans, and recent imaging studies have helped researchers better identify hard-to-see “vulnerable” plaques that are more likely to rupture. However, CT scans are too expensive and time-consuming to be widely used to identify people with dangerous plaques. A quick and easy blood antibody test may be an alternative.

To understand the relationship between the degree of atherosclerosis shown on CT scans and blood antibody levels, Dr. Ramzi Khamis and his team at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College, London, Using anonymized blood samples and CT scans From one of these studies, SCOT-HEART exam.

Researchers used blood samples from SCOT-HEART to test 830 participants’ natural levels of an antibody called anti-MDA-LDL. This antibody binds to a type of cholesterol found in plaques that are prone to rupture. All participants in the trial also underwent CT scans to determine who had life-threatening plaques.

Comparing blood test results and CT scans, the Imperial team found that people with the highest levels of this antibody had the least amount of all types of plaque in their heart arteries, especially the most dangerous ones. did. Meanwhile, his third patient with lower antibody levels had more life-threatening plaques. SCOT-HEART researchers had already shown that people with more plaques of this type were more likely to experience serious heart or circulatory problems, such as heart attacks.

treatment opportunities

The research team is currently working to improve the specificity of antibody test results so that they can be used in clinical practice. They hope these improvements will allow doctors to incorporate the test into risk calculators used to assess people’s future risk of developing heart and circulatory disease.

The researchers hope that this antibody can be used not only to predict the presence of plaque, but also provide an opportunity to treat atherosclerosis. The research team is currently testing ways to increase the production of this antibody in the body, as treatments that increase antibody levels may help reduce levels of dangerous plaque.

Professor James Leiper, our Associate Medical Director, said: “Atherosclerosis causes more heart attacks and strokes than any other disease. By identifying patients most at risk, this collaborative research will help prevent these devastating events. It brings hope for new ways to try.

“The findings described in this paper open up a potentially promising new avenue for therapy, but it’s still early days. Further investigation of these antibodies will help determine if they can be manufactured and used therapeutically. We will find out more about what happens.”

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