New transatlantic research network ATHENA advances mechanistic insights and translational applications in cardiovascular disease

Within ATHENA, a major international atherosclerosis research consortium awarded a USD 9 million International Networks of Excellence grant from the Leducq Foundation, FIMM will lead key genetics-driven discovery efforts that will help translate genetic findings into novel risk assessment tools and therapeutic targets.

Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of most heart attacks and strokes and remains one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. The five-year  (Atherosclerosis Targets from Human gEnetics and functional geNomic Approaches) consortium aims to identify the genetic and molecular pathways driving atherosclerosis by combining large-scale human genetics, functional genomics, and experimental validation in cellular and animal models.

Within ATHENA, FIMM will play a leading role in the consortium’s human genetics-driven discovery programme. Led by Professor Samuli Ripatti, the team will expand large-scale genetic analyses of cardiovascular disease in FinnGen and integrate them with proteomic and clinical data to identify causal disease genes and biological mechanisms underlying coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease.

FIMM’s work will help connect genetic risk variants to the genes and cellular pathways they affect, providing the foundation for downstream functional studies across the network. In addition, FIMM will develop longitudinal proteomic reference resources and contribute to the creation of multi-omic risk profiles that combine genetic, molecular and clinical information. 

Together, these efforts will support the translation of genetic discoveries into improved disease assessment and the identification of novel therapeutic targets.

ATHENA brings together complementary expertise spanning population genetics, vascular biology, functional genomics, single-cell technologies, and experimental disease models. ATHENA investigators include leading experts from Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, Karolinska Institutet, the University of Helsinki/FIMM, and Washington University in St. Louis. 

“One of the biggest challenges in cardiovascular genetics is moving from disease-associated variants to a mechanistic understanding of how they affect vascular biology. ATHENA brings together the expertise needed to bridge this gap. By integrating genetic discoveries with functional genomics and experimental validation, we can identify the causal genes and pathways that represent the most promising targets for future therapies,” says Professor Samuli Ripatti, Director of FIMM.

ATHENA is coordinated by Professor Thomas Quertermous (Stanford University, USA) and Associate Professor Helle F. Jørgensen (University of Cambridge, UK). The network also includes Associate Professor Ljubica Matic (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden) and Professor Nathan Stitziel (Washington University in St. Louis, USA). 

The project is funded through the Fondation Leducq Transatlantic Networks of Excellence programme, which supports internationally collaborative and interdisciplinary research addressing major cardiovascular and neurovascular health challenges.