This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Google Scholar Articles by Hansson, G. K. Articles by Jonasson, L. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hansson, G. K. Articles by Jonasson, L. Related Collections History of Discovery

(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2009;29:1714.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

History of Discovery

The Discovery of Cellular Immunity in the Atherosclerotic Plaque

Göran K. Hansson; Lena Jonasson

From the Karolinska Institutet, Department of Medicine and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm; and the Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Linkoping University, Sweden.

Correspondence to Göran K. Hansson, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Medicine and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital L8:03, SE-17176 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail Goran.Hansson{at}ki.se

It is now generally accepted that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory/immune disease triggered by LDL accumulation in the artery wall. When discovering T cells and the molecular components of a cellular immune response, we proposed that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory process with an autoimmune component. This notion was met with general skepticism but has gained support from experimental and clinical studies. Here we describe some of the early studies that helped developing this concept.

Key Words: athersclerosis • immunity • inflammation • cytokines • T cells • macrophages