New Center Focused on Lp(a) Established in UC San Diego
The Bioinformatics, Epidemiology, and Lp(a) Center for Research and InnOvatioN, or BEACON, will focus on better understanding the relationship between Lp(a) and heart disease
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While many have not heard of Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), the biomarker is elevated in an estimated 20% of individuals worldwide and confers elevated risk for heart attack and stroke. It has the potential to signal heart disease — the leading cause of death in the U.S. — up to 10 years in advance. Still, research on this biomarker remains limited.
To better understand how elevated Lp(a) levels contribute to cardiovascular conditions and explore how this knowledge can improve patient care, the University of California San Diego has established the Bioinformatics, Epidemiology, and Lp(a) Center for Research and InnOvatioN (BEACON). The new center will be housed within the UC San Diego Cardiovascular Institute, which also houses a dedicated Advanced Lipid Disorders Clinic and the Step Family Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Wellness Center.
The new center will conduct innovative research to address clinically relevant questions related to epidemiology, mechanisms, risk stratification and the outcomes of patients with elevated Lp(a). In addition, it is planned to serve as a national coordinating hub to lead multicenter Lp(a) clinical trials in collaboration with other health systems across the country.
“Researchers at UC San Diego have long been on the forefront of research related to Lp(a),” said Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences John M. Carethers, M.D. “This new center will seek to advance our understanding of this Lp(a) to translate that knowledge into better prevention and treatment of cardiac issues across the nation and around the globe.”
Pam R. Taub, M.D., professor of medicine and director of Preventive Cardiology and the Step Family Foundation Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at UC San Diego Health
UC San Diego researchers made early discoveries of Lp(a) as a genetic risk factor for heart attack and stroke, which helped lay the foundation for the first Lp(a)-lowering drug to enter advanced clinical trials. That work has continued through clinical trials and translational research, with UC San Diego being one of top recruitment sites for three major late-stage clinical trials with pelacarsen, olpasiran and leopdisiran.
“UC San Diego is home to cardiovascular research and care that is globally recognized,” said Ehtisham Mahmud, M.D., professor and division chief of Cardiovascular Medicine and executive director of the UC San Diego Cardiovascular Institute-Medicine. “Here, within this new center, our physicians and researchers will build upon the university’s existing expertise to better understand the role of Lp(a) in heart disease, with the ultimate goal of saving lives.”
UC San Diego faculty also contributed to the 2024 U.S. national guidelines recommending one-time Lp(a) testing for patients. NIH-funded studies at UC San Diego are currently examining Lp(a)’s role in conditions such as aortic stenosis and thrombosis.
“We believe that Lp(a) is an important risk factor and with this funding, we hope to be able to close gaps in diagnosis and treatment, ultimately improving outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease,” said Pam R. Taub, M.D., professor of medicine and director of Preventive Cardiology and the Step Family Foundation Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at UC San Diego Health.
The UC San Diego Cardiovascular Institute received seed funding for this project thanks to a generous competitive grant process from the Riley and Susan Bechtel Foundation.
To learn more, visit the BEACON website at lpa.ucsd.edu.
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