Llorente, Vicenta

The group searches new molecular mechanisms underlying pathological alterations in the cardiovascular system to find innovative treatments and new biomarkers with prognostic and diagnostic value in atherosclerosis and cardiomyopathies. Our translationality is based on a fruitful collaboration with clinicians which are updated about the main non-covered needs of patients. We have active national and international collaborations with experts in exclusive technologies, and with companies able to translate findings into new clinical tools. LipidCardio has been a pioneer in demonstrating that human smooth muscle cells through LRP1 accumulate intracellularly huge amounts of cholesterol when exposed to atherogenic lipoproteins. The group has also shown that alterations in vasculature properties caused by foam cells that derive from smooth muscle cells are crucial in plaque destabilization and evolution towards clinical event. The LipidCardio group has also been a pioneer in demonstrating that LRP1 delivers a large amount of cholesterol to the ischemic cardiomyocyte causing serious alterations in calcium metabolism and producing cardiac arrhythmias. On the other hand, the group has identified sLRP1 as a potential biomarker of subclinical atherosclerosis. Additionally, the group has now an extensive productive work identifying new miRNAs and lncRNAs useful in the detection of vascular and myocardial lipid accumulation, gene mutations in dilated myocardiopathy , and response to treatment.