Improving risk prediction of cardiovascular kidney metabolic diseases in women

• Applicant: Dr. Janina Herold
• Subject Area: Epidemiology and Medical Biometry/Statistics ; Cardiology, Angiology ; Nephrology ; Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 573581117

Cardiovascular kidney metabolic (CKM) syndrome encompasses shared pathophysiology and overlapping risk factors of metabolic conditions such as diabetes and obesity, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). CKM multimorbidity and its related risks for poor health and mortality have increased globally, posing a major burden for public health. Although common risk factors such as inflammation, obesity, and glucose intolerance contribute to CKM diseases, their prevalence and impact differ according to sex. In women, pregnancy- or hormone-related risk factors such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome are associated with an increased risk of CKM diseases. While sex-specific differences in the risk of CKM diseases are recognized, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Identifying sex-specific proteins could improve our understanding of risk heterogeneity. However, existing risk equations do not consider sex-specific proteomic or female-specific clinical characteristics. The proposed project focuses on exploring the biological mechanisms behind sex differences in CKM disease risk and improving CKM disease risk prediction in women by incorporating sex-specific factors. The main aims are: 1. Identifying proteins important in CKM disease with differences by sex. 2. Testing clinical risk factors associated with CVD for inclusion in the SCORE2 equation for predicting 10-year CVD risk. 3. Testing female-specific clinical risk factors for inclusion in existing risk equations for CKD progression (e.g. kidney-failure risk equation). Addressing these aims will provide a comprehensive understanding of sex-specific heterogeneity in CKM by integrating clinical data and proteomic data from large population- and patient-based studies that enable robust testing, replication, and validation. These findings will lead to more accurate and personalized risk stratification and prevention strategies, thus advancing sex-specific precision medicine in CKM care, particularly for women who are currently underdiagnosed and undertreated.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: USA
• Hosts: Professor Dr. Josef Coresh; Professorin Morgan Grams, Ph.D.