Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common and serious cardiovascular diseases. It is often only detected late using complex procedures such as CT scans or cardiac catheterization. The project therefore pursues a new approach: Based on a collaboration between Konstantin Stark (Cardiology, LMU) and Matthias Heinig (Computational Biology, Helmholtz Munich) the scientists aim to develop a simple blood test that can detect the disease early and without burdensome interventions. For this purpose, the scientists analyze specific leukocytes in the blood and look for biological markers that reliably distinguish between healthy individuals and patients with coronary artery disease. From these findings, a diagnostic test will emerge that is intended to be easy to use in clinical practice and cost-effective. The goal is to simplify diagnosis, detect CAD earlier, and enable more targeted treatments in the future.