Wei Lab
Principal Investigator: Wei-Qi Wei
Institution: Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, TN)
Primary Subfield: Genetics/Genomics
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
Patients regularly have myocardial infarctions or strokes, despite being on treatment to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and blood pressure (BP). This residual risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains a substantial medical burden globally. To understand and control residual ASCVD risk, we need to answer three questions: (1) what are the underlying mechanisms? (2) who is at higher risk? (3) are there new treatment options? Building on our experience, we propose to fill these knowledge gaps: (1) The genetics of residual ASCVD risk remain largely unexplored. Existing genetic studies focus primarily on baseline risk (e.g., risk of CHD) or response to CHD-relevant drugs (e.g., LDL-C change on statins), not the residual ASCVD risk. Our group has previously identified and replicated LPA variants associated with residual CHD events in patients on statin treatment independent of LDL-C change. In Aim 1, we will identify new users of drugs to lower LDL-C or BP in the biobank at Vanderbilt (BioVU) and conduct a GWAS comparing those who have an ASCVD event while on treatment to those without an event. We will conduct replication in eMERGE and All of US (A…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01HL171809-03: Targeting Residual ASCVD Risk by Integrating Genetics and Clinical Data (2026)
- 5R01AG084550-02: Systematically screening and validating drug repurposing candidates for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (2026)
- 5R01HL171809-02: Targeting Residual ASCVD Risk by Integrating Genetics and Clinical Data (2025)
- 1R01AG084550-01A1: Systematically screening and validating drug repurposing candidates for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (2025)
- 5P50HD106446-05: Phenotyping Support Core (2025)
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