Our Research

The HRP Initiative is leading a number of important studies which incorporate cutting edge technologies to achieve the Initiative’s overall goals. These studies are briefly described below:

BioImage Study

The BioImage study is a large prospective, observational trial involving 7,300 volunteers who will undergo a number of imaging techniques, a series of physical measurements, an ECG and blood tests when they enroll in the study. The participants will be followed for approximately a three-year period during which time 600 study participants are expected to develop a heart-attack or stroke. The study aims to determine whether any of the methods and tests used at the time of enrollment, or new discoveries made from the research, could be used to identify the individuals with a higher risk to develop a future heart attack or stroke.

Blood Biomarker Discovery Study

The Blood Biomarker Discovery Study used stored blood samples from the Duke University CATHGEN research project. The study used a case-control design to answer the question if there are blood markers in people who develop a heart attack or stroke in two years when compared with similar individuals who did not. The study was completed in Q4 of 2007 and showed very promising results.

Plaque Biology Study

This Plaque Biology Study is performed in collaboration with the University of Maastricht in The Netherlands and uses samples of atherosclerotic plaque taken from the carotid arteries (arteries to the brain) at the time of carotid surgery. Several cutting-edge technologies will be used to analyze the vast array of molecules in these samples and the results will allow us to better understand the biological processes that are taking place in the plaque tissue.

Copenhagen Heart Study

BG Medicine is conducting a study with the Copenhagen Heart Study and Copenhagen General Population Study in conjunction with the HRP Initiative. The goals of the study are to discover and validate novel cardiovascular biomarkers, including those predictive of rupture of atherosclerotic plaque and myocardial infarction.