Atherosclerosis is a pathophysiological process common to a range of cardiovascular diseases. We reasoned that considering clinical presentations of atherosclerosis across the coronary, peripheral, and cerebrovasculature as a single entity would enhance statistical power to identify rare genetic variation driving pathological processes across multiple vascular beds.

The Helix Research Network program is a large population genomics initiative that screens an all-comers population of patients for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tier 1 genetic conditions, including familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). We evaluated changes in clinical management and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels among patients we identified to have FH.

Congenital long-QT syndrome is most often associated with pathogenic variants in encoding the pore-forming voltage-gated potassium channel subunit of the slow delayed rectifier current (). Generation of requires assembly of KCNQ1 with an auxiliary subunit encoded by , which is also associated with long-QT syndrome, but the causality of autosomal dominant disease is disputed. By contrast, is an accepted cause of recessive Jervell and Lange-Nielson syndrome type 2 (JLN2). The functional consequences of most variants have not been determined, and the population prevalence of JLN2 is unknown.

Desmin is a muscle-specific intermediate filament protein crucial for maintaining cardiomyocyte structural integrity, connecting multiprotein complexes and organelles. Although mutations are known to cause various (cardio)myopathies, many rare variants remain classified as variants of uncertain significance.

DM1 is caused by a (CTG)n trinucleotide repeat expansion in the 3'UTR of the gene. Once expressed, repeat RNA form toxic hairpins that sequester the muscle blind-like (MBNL) family of splicing factors. This disrupts tissue alternative splicing landscape, triggering multisystemic manifestations - myotonia, muscle weakness, cardiac contractile defects, arrhythmia, and neurologic disturbances. While impaired mitochondrial function has been reported in brain, skeletal muscle, and fibroblasts of DM1 patients, they have not been reported in the heart, nor have their contribution to the DM1 cardiac pathogenesis been explored. Here, we probed the bioenergetic profile of DM1-afflicted heart tissues and explored the mechanistic basis of DM1-induced cardiac bioenergetic defects. Using an inducible, heart-specific DM1 mouse model, we performed extracellular flux analyses, measured total ATP and NAD(H) concentrations, and performed immunofluorescence staining and transmission electron microscopy to characterize DM1-induced cardiac bioenergetics and mitochondrial structural defects. We analyzed eCLIP-Seq data to identify mitochondria-related missplicing events, which we validated in human and mouse DM1 heart tissues. Finally, we used antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) to replicate these events and to test the recapitulation of DM1-like bioenergetic and structural defects in vitro. DM1 induced a multi-state decrease in oxygen consumption rate (OCR) with a corresponding reduction in ATP and NAD(H) concentrations, indicating impaired oxidative phosphorylation in DM1-afflicted mouse hearts. We also found significant cardiac mitochondria fragmentation, which correlated with the missplicing of transcripts encoding mitochondria fission factor (, encodes MFF protein) and dynamin related protein 1 (, encodes DRP1 protein) in DM1-afflicted human and mouse hearts. ASO-mediated redirection of alternative splicing reproduced DM1-like impairment in cardiac bioenergetics and mitochondrial dynamics in wild type HL-1 cardiomyocytes. Together, these findings reveal that expanded (CUG)n RNA toxicity in DM1 disrupts cardiac bioenergetics through missplicing of critical mitochondrial fission transcripts. These misspliced transcripts represent potential therapeutic targets for improving mitochondrial function and cardiac symptoms of DM1.

Proteins linked to heritable coronary heart disease (CHD) could uncover new pathophysiological mechanisms of atherosclerosis. We report on the protein profile associated with a family history of early-onset CHD and whether the relation between proteins and coronary atherosclerotic burden differs according to family history status, as well as inferences from Mendelian randomization.

Mavacamten has been shown to improve cardiac function and symptoms in patients with symptomatic (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class II-III) obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Clinical studies suggest mavacamten monotherapy is efficacious and has a favorable safety profile, but limited evidence exists regarding monotherapy in real-world studies. This analysis aimed to describe the effectiveness and safety outcomes of mavacamten monotherapy in the real-world mavaCamten ObservationaL evIdence Global cOnsortium in HCM study (COLLIGO-HCM). Patient-level data recorded between April 2022 and February 2025 at 7 sites across 5 countries were extracted. Adult patients with a diagnosis of HCM from 2018 onwards were eligible for inclusion if they had ≥1 mavacamten prescription after the date of diagnosis. Patients were categorized based on background therapy status during mavacamten treatment: mavacamten monotherapy or mavacamten with background therapy (down-titration or no dose modification). Overall, 278 patients were included and received mavacamten (mavacamten monotherapy, n=88; mavacamten with background therapy, n=190). At month 9, most patients achieved ≥1 NYHA class improvement from baseline (mavacamten monotherapy, 60.0%; mavacamten with background therapy, 61.0%). Improvements in resting and Valsalva left ventricular outflow tract gradients from baseline to month 9 were observed in both subgroups; mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) through month 9 remained ≥62.0% with mavacamten monotherapy and ≥61.4% with mavacamten with background therapy. Two patients in the mavacamten monotherapy subgroup and one patient in the mavacamten with background therapy subgroup permanently discontinued treatment owing to LVEF <50%. Mavacamten monotherapy was associated with improvements in cardiac function and symptoms, and positive benefits to the risk profile over a 9-month follow-up period; this was consistent with improvements observed in patients treated with mavacamten with background therapy.

Pathogenic variants in ALPK3 (α-protein kinase 3), an atypical α‑kinase acting as a sarcomeric M-band scaffold, cause cardiomyopathy with severity linked to zygosity. We present a comprehensive review with systematic curation of peer-reviewed clinical and experimental reports through June 9, 2025, encompassing 156 patient-level variants and all published preclinical models. Biallelic loss-of-function variants lead to severe, often lethal cardiomyopathy with prenatal or early onset presentation and extracardiac involvement. Heterozygous protein-truncating variants, defined as nonsense or frameshift (resulting from insertion/deletion events or splicing mutations), explain ≈1% to 4% of adult hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, often with apical/septal hypertrophy, right ventricular involvement, fibrosis, and risk of progression. ALPK3 lacks catalytic activity and maintains sarcomeric proteostasis by scaffolding MYOMs (myomesins), MuRF (muscle ring-finger protein) E3 ligases, and SQSTM1 (sequestosome-1)/p62. Loss of this scaffolding function displaces MYOMs, drives thick‑filament protein aggregation, and precipitates severe contractile dysfunction in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and multiple mouse models. Therapeutic proof‑of‑concept has now been achieved on 2 fronts: (1) pharmacological correction of sarcomeric hypercontractility with the myosin inhibitor mavacamten and (2) durable phenotypic rescue in global knockout mice using an adeno-associated virus-delivered miniALPK3 gene‑replacement construct. Together, these data position ALPK3 cardiomyopathy as a compelling target for precision medicine. Early genetic diagnosis, genotype-tailored surveillance, and focused development of gene-replacement or editing strategies, potentially combined with modulators of the ALPK3-MuRF proteostatic axis, offer a realistic path to disease-modifying therapy for this once enigmatic condition.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that increases risk for premature coronary artery disease and has accessible and effective interventions. The Dutch lipid clinic network is currently the most used diagnostic criterion; however, genetic sequencing provides a definitive diagnosis of FH. The goals of this study were to determine whether germline genetic screening using exome sequencing could be used to efficiently identify individuals who were genotype positive for FH.

Calmodulinopathies are very rare genetic disorders associated with a high risk for sudden cardiac death. Disease-causing variants in 1 of the 3 identical genes cause severe forms of long QT syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, or idiopathic ventricular fibrillation, and there are many open questions concerning management and underlying mechanisms. What is currently known depends largely on the initial publications from the International Calmodulinopathy Registry. However, progress is delayed because the accrual of patients in the International Calmodulinopathy Registry is slow. As we did long ago for long QT syndrome, this is a call for action, requesting doctors all over the world to enroll even their isolated cases in the registry. This is the only way to obtain, for an adequate number of patients, the data necessary to define the spectrum of clinical manifestations and the genotype-phenotype correlation essential for an improved risk stratification and best therapeutic management. If you are willing to contribute, please contact us.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a near-fully penetrant autosomal dominant disorder characterized by nosebleeds, anemia, and arteriovenous malformations. The great majority of HHT cases are caused by heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in or , which encode proteins that function in bone morphogenetic protein signaling. HHT prevalence is estimated at 1 in 5000 and is accordingly classified as rare. However, HHT is suspected to be underdiagnosed.

Coronary artery disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. One of the greatest developments in preventive cardiology has been the identification and treatment of standard modifiable risk factors associated with coronary artery disease. However, despite advances in the management of standard modifiable risk factors, there is an escalating number of patients who continue to present with acute coronary syndromes, a trend that is particularly concerning given the decreasing age-adjusted incidence rates of these conditions. This persistent clinical challenge underscores the urgency to explore alternative approaches for early detection and improved risk stratification. In recent years, the emergence of proteomics technologies has brought forth promising avenues for the discovery of novel biomarkers that hold the potential to revolutionize the timely detection and management of coronary artery disease. Proteomics enables the high throughput and often unbiased analysis of protein abundance, modifications, and interactions within pathways relevant to cardiovascular disease pathogenesis. Of particular importance is the capability to detect low-abundance proteins including those with currently unknown functions. While the functional assessment of these proteins aligns more with mechanistic studies, their role in biomarker discovery is equally important. Such detection may provide new insights into cardiac pathophysiology, including potential new markers for early disease detection and risk assessment. Although the latest proteomics technology and bioinformatic approaches do provide the opportunity for novel discoveries, understanding the limitations of each technology platform is important. This review provides an updated overview of major proteomic platforms and discusses their methodological strengths, constraints, and applications, using recent coronary artery disease studies as illustrative examples. By integrating proteomics data with clinical information, including advanced noninvasive imaging techniques and other omics disciplines, such as genomics and metabolomics, we can deepen our understanding of disease mechanisms and improve risk stratification. Although the discovery of novel biomarkers represents a significant step forward in the field, their true clinical value is contingent upon their rigorous validation in clinical trials and implementation studies. With our current capabilities and emerging advancements, we are well-positioned to advance proteomics-guided precision medicine in cardiovascular care over the coming decade.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a relatively rare but debilitating diagnosis in the pediatric population, and patients with end-stage HCM require heart transplantation. Here, we have examined the transcriptome in ventricular tissue from this patient group to identify cell states and underlying cellular processes unique to pediatric HCM.

The analysis of the circulating proteome can identify translational modifiers and biomarkers of disease expressivity and severity at a given time point. Here, we explore the relationships between protein measures implicated in cardiovascular disease and whether they mediate causal relationships between cardiovascular risk factors and disease development.

Cardiac remodeling occurs in the mature heart and is a cascade of adaptations in response to stress, which are primed in early life. A key question remains as to the processes that regulate the geometry and motion of the heart and how it adapts to stress.