Coronary artery disease affects more than 18 million Americans. Plaque buildup narrows the arteries that feed the heart, limiting blood flow and raising the risk of heart attack. Treatment typically combines lifestyle changes, medications to control cholesterol and blood pressure, and procedures like stents or bypass surgery when needed.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing PCSK9 inhibitors and newer cholesterol-lowering drugs, anti-inflammatory medications like colchicine and canakinumab, gene therapies for familial hypercholesterolemia, and devices that improve blood flow. Researchers are also studying how inflammation drives plaque rupture and whether targeting it can prevent heart attacks.
PCSK9 inhibitors
Drugs like evolocumab and alirocumab lower LDL cholesterol far below what statins can achieve. Studies show they reduce heart attacks and deaths in people with very high cholesterol or established heart disease.
Anti-inflammatory drugs
Low-dose colchicine, already used for gout, reduces heart attacks in people with coronary disease. Trials are testing whether targeting inflammation works as well as lowering cholesterol.
Gene therapies
RNA-silencing drugs that turn off PCSK9 production in the liver can lower cholesterol with one or two injections per year. Early trials show sustained reductions lasting months.
What to know before you search
Eligibility often depends on cholesterol levels, history of heart attack or stent, statin tolerance, and cardiovascular risk scores.
What types of trials are currently open
- Cholesterol trials — Testing new drugs that lower LDL cholesterol, often in people who can't tolerate statins or need lower levels than current drugs provide.
- Anti-inflammatory trials — Testing whether drugs that reduce inflammation can prevent heart attacks, independent of cholesterol lowering.
- Gene therapy trials — Testing one-time or infrequent treatments that durably lower cholesterol by silencing genes in the liver.
- Device trials — Testing stents, bypass techniques, and devices that improve blood flow or reduce plaque buildup.
- Prevention trials — Following people at high risk to see whether new treatments prevent the first heart attack or slow artery narrowing.
Recently added Coronary Artery Disease trials
Implementing the 6th Generation Cardiac Troponin T
This study will test how a new blood test for troponin T can be introduced into routine hospital care in Denmark and Norway. The study will look at whether the new test helps doctors assess and treat patients with possible heart problems more effectively and safely.
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Active Health Cohort Study
This is a multicenter, prospective, observational cohort study. Study participants will first be enrolled into the general population main cohort, and some eligible subjects will be invited to participate in a validation study for the consistency of estimated VO₂max. The overall study consists of the establishment of the main cohort and three major research modules: cardiovascular endpoint risk prediction, early warning of exercise-related cardiovascular event risk, and health reminder and behavioral feedback. In addition, a substudy is designed to enroll 300 patients with stable metabolic cardiovascular disease, aiming to verify the consistency between wearable-device-estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) and the gold standard of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET), so as to evaluate the applicability and error structure of the device-estimated parameters in clinical populations.
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