Two of our researchers have been awarded prestigious 2023 Heart Foundation Vanguard Grants, while five more have received a Heart Foundation fellowship, scholarship or grant for their innovative work in the prevention, treatment and management of heart complications.
Associate Professor Xiaowei Wang’s development of a targeted mRNA therapy that directs mRNA-loaded nanoparticles to the specific site of heart disease is a “game-changer”. It will avoid the need for high systemic doses of medication and eliminate internal bleeding, a known side effect of current treatment options.
This novel approach stops inflammation and atherosclerosis, which are major contributors of heart attacks and strokes, A/Prof Wang said.
“Our lipid-based nanoparticles have shown promising results in vitro,” she said. “Over the two years for which we have received this Vanguard grant, we will generate ultrasound-stimulated nanoparticles for the controlled release of mRNA at the very site of inflammation, with the goal of achieving a targeted approach that eliminates the side effects that non-targeted therapies have.
“Our hope is that with the help of this funding, we’ll establish novel mRNA-based strategies that provide safe and long-lasting therapeutic benefits for inflammation and atherosclerosis.
“Thank you to the Heart Foundation for supporting this important work.”
A/Prof Wang’s grant was awarded through the Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health at the University of Melbourne.
Cardiologist-researcher Dr Elizabeth Paratz was also awarded a Heart Foundation Vanguard Grant to advance her research into the causes of sudden cardiac death through the creation of the world’s largest multi-source cardiac arrest registry, the CODEX-SD Registry, which links ambulance and forensic data.
Sudden cardiac arrest, the sudden cessation of cardiac activity, affects 20,000 Australians per year and has a 90 per cent fatality rate. Reducing the burden of sudden cardiac death has been described as the “philosopher’s stone of modern cardiology”.
This world-first cohort registry will provide an unparalleled resource of >100,000 retrospective cases, and then prospective cases, to help define the burden of cardiac diseases and provide an opportunity for detailed analysis and time-trend analysis of sudden cardiac death.
“This exciting and crucially important registry will stimulate many innovative projects, including the opportunity to examine rare conditions with high statistical power and explore the cardiac experiences of under-represented populations,” Dr Paratz said.
“I can’t thank the Heart Foundation enough for this support.”
Associate Professor Alex Pinto was awarded a four-year Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship in the latest round of funding, while Dr Dragana Dragoljevic and Dr Mark Vidallon were successful in their applications for Postdoctoral Fellowships. Mark also won one of two $20,000 Paul Korner Innovation Awards for the most outstanding male-led fellowship projects.
Dr Stephanie Rowe was successfully granted a Heart Foundation PhD scholarship.
