Testing
A clinical review by Thanassoulis's group consolidates Lp(a) biology, phenotypes and the late-phase therapeutic pipeline for practising clinicians (Clin Biochem 2025)
Original title: Lp(a): A Clinical Review
This comprehensive review by Anchouche, Baass and Thanassoulis outlines Lp(a) biology and genetics for clinicians, describing Lp(a)'s relationship to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and aortic stenosis, and noting that its high prevalence has led several cardiovascular societies to recommend at-least-once-in-a-lifetime screening for all adults. The authors survey Lp(a)'s association with various cardiovascular clinical phenotypes, and highlight novel Lp(a)-lowering therapies, several of which are now in late-phase clinical trials despite no currently approved Lp(a)-specific drug. They outline the potential future role of these therapies in clinical practice once trial results mature, positioning the review as a practical reference for clinicians navigating the current gap between growing Lp(a) evidence and available treatment options.
Original abstract
Elevated lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) is a genetically determined cardiovascular risk factor, linked to both atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and aortic stenosis. Elevated Lp(a) is widely prevalent, and consequently, several cardiovascular societies now recommend performing Lp(a) screening at least once in all adults. While there are presently no approved drugs specifically aimed at lowering Lp(a), several promising candidates are currently in the drug development pipeline, and many of these are now undergoing late phase clinical trials. In this comprehensive review, we outline Lp(a) biology and genetics, describe Lp(a)'s relationship to various cardiovascular clinical phenotypes of interest, highlight novel Lp(a)-lowering therapies, and outline what role these may have in future clinical practice.
Summary written by lp-a.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 17 August 2026. Methods.