Yaw Asare - Experimental Atherosclerosis Research
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Research Focus

From GWAS discovery to mechanisms and therapeutic targeting

We are interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with an overarching aim of understanding disease initiation and progression. We strive to identify novel therapeutic targets and cell-type specific mechanisms through a wide range of cellular and molecular biology techniques, cutting-edge multi-omics approaches, in vitro and cellular assays, and transgenic animal models.

Drug targets supported by human genetics have a higher probability of reaching phase III clinical trials and regulatory approval. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified novel risk loci for large artery atherosclerotic stroke most of which reside in intronic and intergenic regions with gene regulatory function. We determine causality of relevant genes in animal models of vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, scrutinize the mechanisms linking them to atherosclerosis, and explore therapeutic targeting strategies for vascular protection. We have a particular interest in elucidating inflammatory pathways with central roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (e.g. NF-κB & NLRP3 inflammasome signaling), which we identified as downstream effectors of risk loci with relevance for human atherosclerosis.

Another focus is the uptake and transcytosis of LDL across the atherogenic vascular endothelium and intracellular processing by macrophages. We have particular interest in understanding how scavenger receptors orchestrate this step in atherogenesis and the downstream signaling network induced upon ligand-receptor binding.

Georgakis MK, Malik R, Bounkari OE, Hasbani NR, Li J, Huffman JE, Shakt G, Tack RWP, Kimball TN, Asare Y, Morrison AC, Tsao NL, Judy R, Mitchell BD, Xu H, Montasser ME, Do R, Kenny EE, Loos RJF, Terry JG, Carr JJ, Bis JC, Psaty BM, Longstreth WT, Young KA, Lutz SM, Cho MH, Broome J, Khan AT, Wang FF, Heard-Costa N, Seshadri S, Vasan RS, Palmer ND, Freedman BI, Bowden DW, Yanek LR, Kral BG, Becker LC, Peyser PA, Bielak LF, Ammous F, Carson AP, Hall ME, Raffield LM, Rich SS, Post WS, Tracy RP, Taylor KD, Guo X, Mahaney MC, Curran JE, Blangero J, Clarke SL, Haessler JW, Hu Y, Assimes TL, Kooperberg C, Bernhagen J, Anderson CD, Damrauer SM, Zand R, Rotter JI, de Vries PS, Dichgans M. Rare damaging CCR2 variants are associated with lower lifetime cardiovascular risk. Genome Med. 2025 Mar 21;17(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s13073-025-01456-2. PMID: 40119478; PMCID: PMC11929344.

Asare Y, Vijayan S, Shagdarsuren G, Shagdarsuren E. Complement Blocking Therapeutic Strategies: A Prospective Approach for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Drug Discovery 2016, Vol 3 (Book Chapter)

We gratefully acknowledge support for our work by the following funding agencies:

10.24.2.001MN: Bidirectional regulation of HDAC9 and IKK in chronic inflammation

DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

AS 575/1-1: Role of SCARF1 in arterial inflammation

DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

CRC1123/3 [Project B3]: Yaw Asare / Martin Dichgans – Mechanistic role of HDAC9 in atherosclerosis

FöFoLe

Excellence program for research and funding (FöFoLe, LMU)

Friedrich-Bauer-Stiftung

Friedrich-Baur-Stiftung (LMU)

2017 & 2020

Yaw Asare, Team Leader

Arailym Aronova, PhD student

Federica Tosato, PhD student

Christina Schlegl, MD student

Luka Zivkovic, MD student

Margarita Shnipova, MSc student

CV

Yaw Asare, PhD

Originally from Ghana, I studied biochemistry, biomedical engineering, and vascular biology. My research ambition is twofold: 1) understand inflammatory mechanisms in atherosclerosis as a major cause of ischemic stroke; and 2) identify novel druggable targets for vascular protection (Asare et al. Circ Res 2020; Asare et al. PNAS 2017). This is an effort guided by human genetics and we pursue it from basic science to preclinical translation.

Scientific Vita

01/2022
Team Leader, Experimental Atherosclerosis Research, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Hospital, Munich Germany

09/2014 –12/2021
Postdoctoral Investigator & Senior Scientist, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Hospital, Munich Germany

10/2012 – 08/2014
Postdoctoral Investigator with shared affiliation at Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology & Institute for Molecular Cardiovascular Research, both RWTH Aachen University Hospital

09/2012
PhD thesis "Role of COP9 Signalosome and IKK complex in Atherosclerosis", Center for Biochemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Germany (Prof. Dr. J. Bernhagen)

2006 – 2008 MSc Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

2001 – 2005
BSc Biochemistry, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana


Honors & Awards

  • Finalist Young Investigator Award of the German Society for Microcirculation and Vascular Biology (2017)
  • BRAIN & BRAIN PET Early Career Investigator Travel Award (2017)
  • European Vascular Biology Organization (EVBO) Travel Award (2012)
  • European Society for Microcirculation (ESM) Travel Award (2011)
  • Signal Transduction Society (STS) Travel Award (2011 & 2009)
  • PhD scholarship from the German Research Foundation (2008)
  • GARG Foundation Scholarship (2006)
  • DAAD Scholarship (2005)


Fields of interest

  • Atherosclerosis
  • Vascular Injury
  • Inflammatory Mechanisms
  • Macrophage Biology 

Yaw Asare
Tel: +49-89-4400-46170
yaw.asare@med.uni-muenchen.de

Yaw Asare