(Vienna, 29 March 2023) Johannes Klopf and Anna Sotir from the Division of Vascular Surgery of the Department of General Surgery and Surgical Research Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna were awarded the prestigious Finlandia Prize ex aequo by the Association of International Vascular Surgeons at this year's Annual General Meeting in Gosau (Austria).
Johannes Klopf was awarded for his work on "Myeloid cells as diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in abdominal aortic aneurysms" and his various associated preclinical and clinical studies. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a common cause of death, and the maximum aortic diameter is currently the only clinically applied predictor of the disease progression. Overall, there is a great need for AAA biomarkers, both diagnostic and prognostic. Regular monitoring is crucial as rupture risk is associated with aneurysm size. A fundamental component of AAA pathogenesis are inflammatory changes in the aortic wall, which are primarily mediated by myeloid cells, in particular neutrophils and monocytes. Surgical AAA mouse models as well as clinical studies in AAA patients revealed that neutrophil-derived biomarkers, especially markers of NETosis, may help to diagnose AAA, predict the size and expansion rate as well as the rupture risk and postoperative outcome in the future. Furthermore, modern anti-NET therapies, which prevent the progression of the disease, have been successfully tested in various mouse models. In addition, monocytes play an important pathogenic role and have been shown to have clinical value in monitoring and prognosis of AAA patients by potentially providing information for early therapeutic intervention. Numerous promising biomarkers have been investigated. As a result, this may have a positive impact on rupture risk, mortality, morbidity and medical costs.
New method reduces complications in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms
The treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms involving the branches of the visceral arteries with fenestrated/branched stent prostheses (F/B-EVAR technique) has now become the favoured standard procedure. Both types of prostheses are sealed with a connecting stent graft (BSG) to the visceral arteries. In the previous literature on F/B-EVAR interventions, the technical approaches for supplying the visceral arteries with BSG were not assessed. The awarded work ("Evolution of complex endovascular aortic repair - simplifying non-sheath technique") by Anna Sotir demonstrates that the alternative new method of delivering visceral arteries without routine sheath support leads to a significant reduction in the incidence of intraoperative complications and a shorter operation time. In addition, this alternative method results in significantly lower radiation exposure, which has been one of the biggest challenges in endovascular procedures to date. Ultimately, it could be shown that fewer secondary interventions were necessary with the new technical approach. Thus, the new method will hopefully contribute to increase the clinical and technical success of F/B-EVAR in the near future.
About the people
Johannes Klopf studied human medicine at the Medical University of Vienna and molecular biology at the University of Vienna. Subsequently, he completed an N094 PhD programme at the Medical University of Vienna in the thematic programme of "Vascular Biology". He is currently a surgical resident in the specialist field of general and vascular surgery at the Division of Vascular Surgery of the Department of General Surgery, Medical University of Vienna. His main scientific interest is translational research in surgical animal studies, but he also supervises randomised clinical trials. His previous scientific activities have been honoured with various lecture and poster prizes at national and international conferences. In addition, he received the "Hans and Blanca Moser Award” in the field of cardiovascular research 2022 for the paper on "The prognostic impact of vascular calcification on abdominal aortic aneurysm progression", which was published in the top journal "Journal of Vascular Surgery". In addition to his research work, Johannes Klopf is also involved in teaching as part of the human medicine curriculum at the Medical University of Vienna and in supervising various diploma theses.
Anna Sotir studied human medicine at the Medical University of Vienna. Since November 2021, she began her N790 Doctoral Programme of Applied Medical Science studies in the thematic "Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease" programme. The focus of her research is the evaluation of new technical approaches and imaging techniques in the endovascular treatments of complex abdominal and thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms with stent prostheses. In December 2022, her scientific work comparing mono-planar and bi-planar fluoroscopy was published in the top "Journal of Vascular Surgery" and awarded the poster prize at the international endovascular congress "Paris Vascular Insights". In her scientific dissertation project, Anna Sotir is interested in translational analysis of biomarkers for the early detection of spinal ischaemia, which is a serious complication of F/B-EVAR procedures but is also involved in randomised clinical trials. In addition to her research activities, she also teaches and supervises diploma theses at the Medical University.