Winners announced as heart disease attracts NSW’s brightest minds

Australia’s number one killer, heart disease, is being challenged by researchers under the NSW Government’s transformative $150 million investment in cardiovascular research.

Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard said the first round of grants showed the amazing talent and strengths of NSW’s research capability.

“The NSW Government has committed to turbo-charge investment in cardiovascular disease research to encourage our best minds to find the breakthroughs needed for patients and to build NSW as a centre for research excellence,” Mr Hazzard said.

Under the first round, almost $15 million has been awarded to 10 successful senior scientists and 10 successful clinician scientists, to drive scientific discoveries and develop innovative therapies for cardiovascular disease.

The first round of cardiovascular disease research grants would help newborns and adults who could be at risk of the deadly disease.

Recipients include Professor Richard Harvey from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, whose research project aims to understand the celluar, molecular and genetic causes of hypoplastic left heart, a condition where babies are born with a small cardiac left ventricle, the main pumping chamber of the heart.

Another successful recipient, Professor Gemma Figtree from the University of Sydney, will look at the increasing number of heart attack patients who are not identified as “at risk”. Through novel computational bioinformatics she plans to identify new mechanisms and biological markers of both coronary artery disease susceptibility and resilience.

“The research applications were of high calibre and the field was highly competitive. We are intent on making NSW the premier state for cardiovascular research in Australia,” said Mr Hazzard.

The NSW Government is investing $150 million over the next ten years for cardiovascular research in NSW.

NSW researchers awarded grants include:

• Professor John Attia, University of Newcastle
• Dr Richard Bagnall, University of Sydney
• Professor Ken Butcher, University of New South Wales
• Dr Vivien Chen, ANZAC Research Institute
• Associate Professor James Chong, University of Sydney
• Professor Clara Chow, University of Sydney
• Professor Sally Dunwoodie, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
• Professor Gemma Figtree, University of Sydney
• Professor Jennifer Gamble, University of Sydney
• Professor Robert Graham, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
• Professor Richard Harvey, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
• Dr Adam Hill, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
• Professor Leonard Kritharides, ANZAC Medical Research Institute
• Professor Boris Martinac, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
• Associate Professor Martin Ng, University of Sydney
• Dr John O’Sullivan, Heart Research Institute
• Professor Christopher Semsarian, University of Sydney
• Professor Roland Stocker, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
• Professor Martin Ugander, University of Sydney
• Professor Jamie Ian Vandenberg, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

Further information on all recipients’ and their research projects is available at www.medicalresearch.nsw.gov.au/research-directory/.