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 Research Group Andreas Ritsch

Our research focuses on the importance of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in the development of cardiovascular diseases. We pay particular attention to reverse cholesterol transport. Our work to date has included basic research, animal experiments, and clinical studies, and aims to develop new approaches to the treatment and prevention of atherosclerotic diseases in humans.

Im Fokus unserer Forschung steht die Bedeutung des Lipid- und Lipoproteinstoffwechsels für die Entstehung von Herz- und Kreislauferkrankungen. Das besondere Augenmerk liegt dabei auf dem reversen Cholesterintransport. Unsere bisherigen Arbeiten umfassen grundlagenbasierte, tierexperimentelle und klinische Studien und zielen auf die Entwicklung neuer Ansätze zur Therapie und Prävention von atherosklerotischen Erkrankungen beim Menschen ab.

Current projects

- Influence of biologics on reverse cholesterol transport functions (HDL-mediated cholesterol ester transfer, HDL uptake in cells, expression of RCT proteins) in macrophages and primary coronary endothelial cells (HCAEC).

- Development of highly sensitive fluorescence-based measurement methods for determining lipoprotein profiles

- Influence of enzymes involved in ether lipid metabolism on the development of atherosclerosis in transgenic mouse models (collaboration with Prof. Watschinger)

- Influence of mutations in the APOCIII gene on lipoprotein metabolism in an Austrian cohort (collaboration with Prof. Dieplinger)