Despite advancements in prevention and treatment, cardiovascular disease remains the leading global cause of mortality and is projected to result in 20.5 million deaths by 2025. Both diabetes and aging independently elevate the risk of vascular inflammation, which contributes to atherosclerotic lesions and vascular dysfunction in organs such as the heart, kidneys, and brain. The growing prevalence of diabetes, coupled with an aging population, underscores an urgent need for innovative therapeutic approaches targeting diabetes-related vascular dysfunction. Our research focuses on the role of vascular smooth muscle cells as key regulators of vascular health.
The Swedish Cardiopulmonary Bioimage Study (SCAPIS) is a population-based research project involving 30,000 participants aged 50–64 from six Swedish hospitals. SCAPIS stands out due to its large scale and comprehensive phenotyping. It aims to advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases by combining advanced imaging techniques (e.g., CT, ultrasound) with extensive data collection on lifestyle, genetics, and biomarkers. By identifying new risk factors, biomarkers, and mechanisms underlying conditions like heart attacks, strokes, and COPD, SCAPIS contributes to precision medicine and early intervention strategies.
This project aims to analyze genotyping data from SCAPIS to improve predictions of diabetic vascular disease and cognitive dysfunction. The study involves using PLINK for genetic data analysis and developing machine learning algorithms to explore associations between specific genetic profiles and disease outcomes.
The research group (Molecular Vascular Physiology) is situated at BMC D12 in Lund. The project is ideal for a master student with an interest in deep learning models and polygenic risk scoring for vascular disease. We are seeking a motivated trainee to join our team in the spring of 2025. While our lab currently has limited bioinformatics expertise, we are in the process of recruiting a data analyst to support the group. Additionally, we collaborate with the research group “Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics in Thoracic Surgical Science” on this project.
Contact info: Sebastian.Albinsson@med.lu.se