Open Lecture: November & December 2022

Professor Florian Kronenberg, Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is a lipoprotein composed of an apolipoprotein B bound to apolipoprotein (a) by a disulfide bond. Apo (a) is a protein comprising a plasminogen-like domain and different domains known as kringles. One of these kringles is highly polymorphic and this results in apo(a) having a large variation in protein size (300-800kD).
A plethora of data shows that an elevated level of Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for coronary atherosclerosis. However, there is more to the Lp(a) story. In this lecture, Professor Florian Kronenberg from the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria demonstrates that an elevated level of Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for calcification of the aortic valve. This has several implications from a follow-up and therapeutic perspective.