The Genetic Aortic Network hosted a webinar on October 20, 2026 titled, “Uncovering the Early Role of Immune Cells in Marfan Syndrome Aortopathy.”

During this session, Julie De Backer, MD, PhD (Ghent University, Belgium), Patrick Sips, PhD (Ghent University, Belgium), and Hiromi Yanagisawa, MD, PhD (University of Tsukuba, Japan) presented the latest experimental and clinical data on the role of immune cells in Marfan syndrome aortopathy.

The study team discussed evidence from mouse models showing that immune cell involvement begins early in the disease process, before major structural aortic damage is visible. They also looked at how these findings align with observations of immune cells in aortic tissue biopsies from patients undergoing surgery.