Assessment of Platelet-derived GARP in Atherosclerotic Disease

The leading cause of death is cardiovascular diseases in occidental countries. Of those, atherosclerosis is the major contributor to this burden being notably responsible for strokes and myocardial infarctions. The genesis of atherosclerosis is linked to both lipid accumulation and inflammation in the vascular wall of major arteries. One of the major pathways of inflammation is the TGF-beta axis which is at least partially regulated by the GARP protein. It has been investigated mostly in cancer biology but data in cardiovascular disease is lacking. Thus, the investigators aim to characterize the contribution of this protein by investigating its expression in tissue from patients with atherosclerosis, the carotid or femoral plaque representing a good source of residual material adequate for research purpose. The main cells expressing the GARP protein are the platelets and the T regulating cells which will be the main focus.

NCT Number	NCT07364058
Lead Sponsor	Université Catholique de Louvain Collaborators: Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique
Conditions	Atheroma; Carotid Artery, Atheromatosis
Enrollment	200 participants
Start Date	2026-02
Primary Completion	2029-01 (estimated)
Study Completion	2029-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-01-27