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Åsa Tivesten

Professor/ Chief Physician

Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine
Telephone
+46 738-00 52 50
Mail
asa.tivesten@medic.gu.se
Visiting address
Wallenberglab, Bruna stråket 16, SU/S
41345 Göteborg
Postal address
Wallenberglab, Bruna stråket 16, SU/S
41345 Göteborg

Professor/ Chief Physician

Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine
Telephone
+46 738-00 52 50
Mail
asa.tivesten@medic.gu.se
Visiting address
Blå stråket 5 B Wallenberglab/SU
41345 Göteborg
Postal address
SU Sahlgrenska
41345 Göteborg

About Åsa Tivesten

Dr Åsa Tivesten is professor at the Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research at the Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She received her MD in 1994 and her PhD in 2003. She has a board certificate as physician in Internal Medicine (2003) and has worked as a senior consultant since 2013.

Dr Tivesten’s research focuses on the cardiovascular actions of sex hormones, particularly on atherosclerosis. In her research, she combines experimentation on animals with epidemiological methods.

Main research

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Sweden and globally. Atherosclerosis is the most important underlying mechanism for ischemic heart disease, the major form of CVD. A smaller, but clinically important, type of CVD is abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).

An AAA is a pathological widening of the abdominal aorta, which in many cases remains asymptomatic but may result in a life-threatening sudden rupture of the aortic wall. Although certain risk factors are shared between atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and AAAs, these clearly represent two distinct vascular diseases.

Since a few years back, all Swedish men, but not women, are offered an ultrasound screening for AAA at 65 years of age. There is a strong male preponderance in both atherosclerosis-based CVD and AAAs, but the actions of sex steroids in these diseases are poorly defined.

The overall aim of our research is to determine the role of androgens (“male” sex steroids, e.g. testosterone) in atherosclerotic CVD and AAAs. In our research, we combine epidemiology with studies in genetically manipulated mice to answer questions concerning the cardiovascular actions of sex steroids.

Group members

  • Inger Johansson, Staff Scientist
  • Yvonne Björk, PhD Student
  • Marta Lantero Rodriguez, PhD Student
  • Elin Svedlund, PhD Student
  • Annelie Carlsson, Research Associate
  • Catharina Olivius (MD, PhD)

Funding

  • Swedish Research Council
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
  • Novo Nordisk Foundation
  • ALF Göteborg

Key Publications