ViroGates A/S announces that a study published on 4 October 2022 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation states: "Using clinical, genetic and experimental data, a collaborative study between researchers from USA, Sweden and Denmark shows that suPAR is a pathogenic factor for cardiovascular disease". The study used a combination of suPARnostic® products from ViroGates, genetic sequencing and experimental mouse and tissue models to show that suPAR levels were predictive of coronary artery calcification and cardiovascular events in 5,406 participants without previously known coronary disease. The findings are consistent with previous studies showing suPARnostic®'s ability to predict cardiovascular disease.

This new study, however, was conducted to determine if suPAR in itself is a factor that causes disease rather than just reflecting it. To determine causality, the researchers measured suPAR and conducted genetic analysis on more than 25,000 individuals. The mutation associated with elevated suPAR was confirmed to provide higher suPAR levels when expressed in cells and mice and showed that an over-expression of suPAR in mice caused atherosclerotic plaques, a common cardiovascular condition that can lead to stroke and other cardiac diseases.

The causal role of suPAR was finally confirmed by data from a UK biobank, which confirmed that the particular mutation that gives higher suPAR was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, a rare mutation associated with lower suPAR levels was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The overall conclusion is that the study shows suPAR is causal for developing cardiovascular disease.

For ViroGates, suPAR can now be considered a target for preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases. Based on the findings, ViroGates will investigate opportunities and potential pharmaceutical partnerships within cardiology to improve the risk stratification of patients to provide new treatment solutions that lower suPAR and provide a better prognosis for individuals and patients.