Colchicine in coronary disease: Using the available to enable the sustainable

The general aim of this thesis is to investigate wheter anti-inflammatory therapy improves outcomes in patients with coronary disease, based on a methodology that combines sustainable collection of evidence with the highest level of fidelity.
This aim is accomplished using two main approaches. The first approach is clinically and mechanistically orientated and described in parts I, II, and III of this thesis. In these parts, we present the rationale and methods for repurposing a well-known drug, colchicine, to modulate crucial, but to date unaddressed, biological pathways in atherosclerosis. The second approach is methodologically orientated and described in parts II and IV of this thesis. In these parts, we show that investigator-initiated research can be undertaken with scientifically sound methods, by using a pragmatic trial design and innovative data collection methods.