# Integrating genomic and nongenomic risk for coronary artery disease

> **NIH NIH K08** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2022 · $168,925

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Candidate. Akl Fahed, MD, MPH is a board-certified physician in internal medicine, cardiology, and
interventional cardiology on staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He is also instructor in
medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and postdoctoral scholar at the Broad Institute of Harvard/MIT. He
has a track record of scientific commitment and productivity at each phase of training and has published 26
papers – including 18 as first author – in cardiovascular genetics over the past decade. He now seeks to
expand upon previous training in cardiology and human genetics to catalyze a career focused on improving
prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease. Mentorship, Training Activities, and Environment. Dr.
Fahed will perform the proposed work at MGH and the Broad under the mentorship of Dr. Patrick Ellinor, a
physician-scientist and international leader in cardiovascular genetics with an outstanding track record for
mentorship and Dr. Pradeep Natarajan, a physician-scientist with expertise in coronary artery disease genetics
and prevention. This mentorship team will be complemented by a highly committed and accomplished Advisory
Committee of Drs. Peter Kraft and Heidi Rehm. Formal coursework will enhance a multi-disciplinary
experiential learning effort to gain requisite skills in computational biology, predictive analytics, and responsible
research conduct. Research. Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a leading cause of death worldwide
despite improved treatment of risk factors. Genomic risk provides opportunity for earlier recognition and
targeted intervention prior to onset of risk factors, but there are two key barriers for its use: 1) There is no
single model that combines genomic and nongenomic factors to predict absolute risk of CAD, and 2) existing
genomic risk prediction underperforms in non-European ancestries. To address these knowledge gaps, the PI
will first develop and validate a genomic risk model for CAD that combines monogenic, polygenic, and somatic
variation using data on >460,000 European ancestry individuals. Second, he will develop and validate an
integrated risk model for CAD that combines genomic and nongenomic (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood
sugar, exercise, weight, diet, and smoking) risk drivers in European ancestry individuals. Third, he will optimize
this model for individuals of African, South Asian, East Asian and Hispanic ancestries using data on >150,000
individuals from several multiethnic studies. Successful completion of the proposed studies will lay the
scientific foundation for disclosing integrated risk information for CAD to individuals and their caregivers to
facilitate targeted interventions. Furthermore, the proposal will provide key training of the PI to facilitate his
transition to an independent physician investigator in cardiovascular genetics and the data generated will serve
as the basis for a future R01 application.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10524541
- **Project number:** 1K08HL161448-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Akl C Fahed
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $168,925
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-10 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10524541

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10524541, Integrating genomic and nongenomic risk for coronary artery disease (1K08HL161448-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10524541. Licensed CC0.

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