New Study Presented at AHA 2026 Highlights CERT2 is lowered significantly by PCSK9-inhibitor treatment
Results from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial show that CERT2 predicts cardiovascular events and mortality after acute coronary syndrome, while PCSK9 inhibition with alirocumab significantly reduces CERT2 scores.
New research presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2026 provides further evidence supporting the clinical value of CERT2 in cardiovascular risk assessment. The study, based on 4,285 participants from the landmark ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial, investigated whether CERT2 could predict cardiovascular events and mortality in patients who had experienced an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and were receiving intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy.
CERT2 Predicts Cardiovascular Risk Beyond Conventional Biomarkers
The results demonstrated that CERT2 independently predicted major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality, even after adjustment for established risk factors, including age, sex, diabetes, kidney function, LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. These findings highlight the potential of CERT2 to identify residual cardiovascular risk that may not be fully captured by conventional clinical characteristics and lipid biomarkers.
PCSK9 Inhibition Significantly Reduces CERT2
An important finding was the effect of the PCSK9-inhibitor alirocumab-drug on CERT2. After four months of treatment, alirocumab reduced CERT2 by approximately two risk-score points compared with placebo. Furthermore, while higher baseline CERT2 was associated with increased cardiovascular risk and mortality in the placebo group, these associations were no longer statistically significant in patients receiving alirocumab.
The findings suggest that intensive lipid-lowering therapy with PCSK9 inhibition may modify CERT2 identified residual cardiovascular risk.
Strengthening the Evidence for CERT2 in Cardiovascular Prevention
This study extends previous evidence supporting CERT2 as a cardiovascular risk marker by demonstrating its prognostic value in patients stabilized after acute coronary syndrome and receiving optimized statin treatment.
The results also provide new insights into the responsiveness of CERT2 to intensive lipid-lowering therapy, supporting further investigation of its potential role in treatment targeting and monitoring.
Link to the abstract: