Congratulations to four of our researchers — Professors Jonathan Shaw and Tom Marwick, Associate Professor Sandeep Prabhu, and Dr Dragana Dragoljevic —who secured more than $7.6 million in NHMRC Investigator Grant funding, announced this week.
Their research covers a broad range of conditions relating to heart disease and diabetes, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to improve detection and management of heart failure; large-scale studies to better understand the spread of diabetes complications; enhancing our understanding of atrial fibrillation and related heart issues; and the potential to find a first-time treatment for people with a blood disorder that promotes heart disease.
More specifically, this work involves:
Professor Jonathan Shaw who received more than $3 million to better understand the range and burden of diabetes complications in Australia and globally, with the expansion of two large-scale projects that are underway. This includes the PREDICT study which currently involves 2500 people in Melbourne and will now allow for: more biobank analyses to understand biological processes including people's lipid and genomic profiles; additional sites in Malaysia and India; and people with young-onset diabetes.
Professor Tom Marwick received $2.6 million to address issues around heart failure including lack of recognition, failure to detect early-stage disease and difficulties in integrating diagnosis with therapy. It includes development of a prototype robotic approach to enable acquisition of ultrasound images by a remote sonographer, and AI to facilitate image interpretation. This research aims to help those at risk and those with heart failure, especially in rural and remote areas where prompt access to cardiac diagnostic treatment maybe challenging.
Associate Professor Sandeep Prabhu who secured more than $1.6 million to explore new insights to better manage a unique phenotype of heart failure called arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy. Importantly, it is a reversible heart condition that occurs when heart arrhythmias cause dysfunction in the left ventricle of the heart. It can be caused by atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, tachycardia, or premature ventricular contractions.
Dr Dragana Dragoljevic who will receive $451,000 to potentially find a first-time treatment for people with a new blood disorder, termed Clonal Haematopoiesis (CH), that promotes heart disease. Currently there is no cure for CH, no therapies to halt its progression and no clinical guidelines for the management of heart disease in patients with this disorder. Her project aims to explore how CH drives heart disease and find a therapy to prevent disease progression.
NHMRC CEO, Professor Steve Wesselingh, says: "NHMRC funds investigator-led research where Australia's highest performing health and medical researchers set out to achieve ambitious goals of improving the health and wellbeing of the Australian community".
Institute Director, Professor John Greenwood welcomed the funding, saying it enables our researchers to undertake pioneering projects to enhance prevention, diagnosis and treatment around key areas of our work relating to heart failure and diabetes.
"The research projects also have a strong national and global focus with particular emphasis on health equity and delivering better care for disadvantaged and vulnerable people in rural and remote areas, issues close to our heart," Professor Greenwood says.
