Leading scientists at the Heart Research Institute (HRI) are a step closer to uncovering a new biomarker to identify people at risk of heart disease with a simple blood test, after a “good” gene was identified that causes the heart to enlarge with exercise.
The world first discovery was led by one of Australia’s foremost heart scientists, Professor Julie McMullen, who is now leading HRI’s Heart Muscle Group to focus on developing new ways to prevent and treat heart attack and heart failure.
“Our goal is to reproduce the actions of the ‘good’ genes in the diseased heart by mimicking the beneficial effects of exercise in a failing heart. We then use that information to develop new drugs to reduce the risk of heart disease or heart failure,” Prof McMullen said.
One person has a heart attack in Australia every 10 minutes, while one Australian dies from cardiovascular disease every 12 minutes.
“Heart disease can happen to any of us. With increasing rates of obesity and type two diabetes, people are being affected by heart conditions at a much younger age, which can progress to heart attack and heart failure,” Prof McMullen said. “Current drugs are not very effective for improving heart function and quality of life, so it is important that we identify new therapies for patients with heart disease and heart failure.”
The team at HRI is also examining cardio-oncology and the fact that many cancer treatments are leading to cardiac complications like heart failure or atrial fibrillation down the track.
“Sometimes these complications don’t show up until many years later. It is important we can identify new biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for this challenging and understudied area,” Prof McMullen said.
Prof Julie McMullen and her team, the Heart Muscle Group.
For Prof McMullen, the research is personal, having lost her own grandmother to heart failure.
“My grandmother had high blood pressure and developed heart failure. I remember visiting her as a young girl and helping her dispense the multiple tablets she had to take every morning, which she used to hate. She was often breathless and couldn’t do simple everyday tasks.
“This can have a big impact on entire families. We know there is a better way to identify those at risk, but we can’t do it alone,” Prof McMullen says.
Scientists are hoping to find the gift of research in their Santa stocking this festive season as HRI launches a targeted Christmas Appeal to help Prof McMullen’s team ramp up their work to the next phase.
“We know this biomarker is there and we are close to finding it, but it comes down to researchers getting time in the lab,” Prof McMullen said. “By donating, individuals can fund essential laboratory resources and high-tech equipment, accelerating the availability of life-changing treatments for those in need.
“Your support will propel our research forward and bring new hope to those affected by heart disease,” said Prof McMullen.
Kelsey lost her dad to a fatal cardiac event when she was 25
Melbourne paramedic Kelsey Hibberd is all too familiar with the toll that heart disease, sudden cardiac arrest and heart failure take on thousands of Australians and their families every year.
Many of those who die do not show signs their heart is at risk of stopping – a fact brought home to Kelsey mid-way through her paramedic training three years ago.
The morning after dinner at her childhood home with her parents and three siblings, Kelsey received a call saying her father Chris, 59, was unconscious.
“I only lived a few minutes away and rushed down there, but the paramedics were finished up when I arrived. They had already ceased resuscitation,” she says. “It was devastating. A complete shock.”
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The Age – Paramedic Kelsey lost her dad to a heart attack. She now hopes for ‘exercise in a pill’ to save lives - 1 December 2024