Panagiotis Doukas: Plasma Desmosine as a Biomarker of Increased Proteolytic Activity in the Aortic Wall
Panagiotis Doukas, Resident Physician at Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co-authored, adding:
“I am happy to announce the results of our latest research collaboration with the University of Dundee, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), the Institute of Immunology at Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, and the Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapeutics at Uniklinik RWTH Aachen.
In this case–control study on thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm physiology, we demonstrate that plasma desmosine can reliably discriminate TAAA patients from healthy controls. Importantly, we also show for the first time a direct association between circulating plasma desmosine levels and matrix metalloproteinase expression within the aortic wall.
These findings suggest plasma desmosine as a biomarker of increased proteolytic activity in the aortic wall, independent of aortic diameter and highlight its potential relevance for improved risk stratification beyond size criteria alone.
Grateful to all collaborators for this productive and truly interdisciplinary effort.”
Title: Plasma Desmosine Is Elevated in Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms and Is Associated with Intramural Proteolytic Activity
Authors: Panagiotis Doukas, Cathryn Bassett, Bernhard Hruschka, Elena Kuzmanova, Inga Wessels, Hannes J. Klump, Leon J. Schurgers, Michael J. Jacobs, Christian Uhl, Alexander Gombert, Jeffrey T. J. Huang
Read the Full Article on International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Explore more posts for deeper insights into hemostasis with Hemostasis Today.
-
May 12, 2026, 16:46Tagreed Alkaltham: Why Apheresis Matters in Modern Transfusion Medicine
-
May 12, 2026, 16:37Reinhold Kreutz: Cardiovascular Burden in Acute Intermittent Porphyria Needs Greater Awareness
-
May 12, 2026, 16:33Pablo Corral: The Truth About Very Low LDL-Cholesterol
-
May 12, 2026, 16:24Mildred Lundgren: We Must Talk About the Invisible Causes of Stroke
-
May 12, 2026, 16:17Irene Scala: The Sex Disparities In Access to Acute Stroke Treatments In Italy
-
May 12, 2026, 16:04May Nour: UCLA Health Mobile Stroke Unit Becomes The 1st In The World to Perform mCTA In the Field
-
May 12, 2026, 15:57Leonardo Roever: Prognostic Impact of Lipoprotein(a) and CAR in Elderly Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients
-
May 12, 2026, 15:54Bruno Pougault: Prioritizing Laboratory Tests in Resource-Limited Emergency Care
-
May 12, 2026, 15:37Jennifer Holter Chakrabarty: Supporting the Next Generation of Hematology Researchers