Amgen announces collaborative real-world study to evaluate association between lipoprotein(a) and cardiovascular risk in African Americans

Amgen announces community-based partnership with the Association of Black Cardiologists and Morehouse School of Medicine to analyze electronic health records of 5,000 African American individuals in exploration of associations between lipoprotein(a) levels and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in this under-represented patient population.

American biotechnology company Amgen has issued a press release announcing it will partner with the Association of Black Cardiologists and Morehouse School of Medicine in the community-based African American Heart Study. The study will analyze electronic health record (EHR) real-world data (RWD) and the genetics of 5,000 African American individuals across the US to explore the association between lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), levels and the comparatively high incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in this under-represented patient population.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of all Americans, and African Americans are 30% more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic whites. Lp(a) is considered an independent risk factor for heart disease and its levels are genetically determined, differing with race and ethnicity. African American individuals show a higher average Lp(a) concentration than white populations, but Lp(a) research to date has primarily been conducted in individuals of European descent, and so the African American Heart Study has been designed to address this research gap.

The prospective case-control study design will enroll 2,500 self-identified African Americans with ASCVD and 2,500 self-identified African Americans without ASCVD from cardiology and primary care practices across the US. The Association of Black Cardiologists and Morehouse School of Medicine will identify research sites through community outreach and by using the Health 360x Clinical Trial Network and Registry.

The study will gather RWD over 3 years from participants’ EHRs. Amgen’s Iceland-based subsidiary, deCODE genetics, will sequence DNA, RNA, and protein markers from participants’ blood samples. The resultant information will be analyzed together to generate real-world evidence about ASCVD and potentially also other diseases that disproportionately affect African Americans.

“People of all races and ethnicities can have high levels of Lp(a), but it appears to be more common in African Americans. I am excited about the African American Heart Study because we have the opportunity to study up to 5,000 self-identified African Americans, who have been so often under-represented in studies, in order to gain a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of Lp(a) and to determine if African American patients are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Elizabeth Ofili, Professor of Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study. “The results of this study will potentially provide insights that will help determine which types of patients would benefit most from future therapy.”