Scientific Rationale
At Bitterroot Bio, we are developing new therapies for cardiovascular disease (CVD), with a focus on the role of the immune system in heart disease-a field known as cardioimmunology. Many forms of CVD, including heart failure and coronary artery disease, involve chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, yet these processes remain poorly understood and are not directly targeted by most current treatments. Human genetics and large-scale biomedical datasets offer the opportunity to uncover causal mechanisms and prioritize new drug targets that could lead to more effective, precision therapies.
Research Questions
1.Which genes, proteins, and pathways involved in immune and inflammatory responses contribute to cardiovascular disease risk and progression?
2. How do circulating immune biomarkers (e.g., IL6) correlate with clinical outcomes such as myocardial infarction or heart failure?
3.Are there genetic profiles or biomarker signatures that identify patient subgroups more likely to respond to immune-modulating therapies?
4.Can human genetics and biomarker data predict potential safety liabilities or treatment responses relevant to drug development?
Objectives
1.Identify drug targets: Use genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and protein QTL analyses to discover genes and proteins involved in cardiovascular and immune pathways.
2.Characterize immune-cardiac interactions: Link inflammatory biomarkers with cardiovascular traits to uncover disease mechanisms.
3.Stratify patients: Identify subgroups with distinct genetic or biomarker profiles to inform patient selection and precision treatment strategies.
4.Support drug development: Use UKB data to prioritize genetically supported targets and anticipate safety concerns in early-stage R&D.
Results will be shared through peer-reviewed publications to contribute to the wider scientific and medical community.