Type 2 diabetes is the most common endocrine disease in the world and up to 60% of diabetic patients have heart disease. Heart disease is the most expensive heath condition and biggest cause of death in Australia. Diabetic patients often accumulate fat (triglyceride) within their heart cells, leading to diabetic heart disease. The present study sought to determine if diabetic patients with increased fat within their heart cells have more scarring which eventually results heart muscle dysfunction ....Type 2 diabetes is the most common endocrine disease in the world and up to 60% of diabetic patients have heart disease. Heart disease is the most expensive heath condition and biggest cause of death in Australia. Diabetic patients often accumulate fat (triglyceride) within their heart cells, leading to diabetic heart disease. The present study sought to determine if diabetic patients with increased fat within their heart cells have more scarring which eventually results heart muscle dysfunction.Read moreRead less
Atrial Fibrillation And Hypertension: Reverse Cardiac Remodelling Post Renal Denervation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$90,144.00
Summary
Patients with hypertension are at increased risk of heart rhythm disorders, yet little is known if treatment of high blood pressure will improve abnormal rhythm. Renal denervation is a new and effective treatment for severe hypertension; this study will assess the adverse changes in heart structure and function due to severe hypertension, and investigate whether renal denervation can ameliorate these changes on a structural and electrical level.
Fibrosis is a major mechanism driving chronic disease. A specific pathologic process (TGF/Smad signalling) plays an important role in scarring of the kidney and the heart; but our understanding of this process is limited. Our exciting new data has identified a chemical modification of a component of this scarring pathway (acetylation of Smad3), and this project seeks to determine whether this modification plays a pivotal role in regulating tissue scarring.
Ventricular Remodelling In Cardiomyopathy _ Impact On Ventricular Physiology And Cardiovascular Outcome.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$123,337.00
Summary
Diffuse myocardial fibrosis is the widespread deposition of scar tissue in heart muscle and is a common final pathway of cardiac disease. A new technique (contrast-enhanced T1 mapping) using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging can non-invasively detect this scarring. The proposed research intends to further determine the significance of diffuse myocardial fibrosis in cardiac disease, evaluate its link with diastolic heart failure and examine the potential therapeutic role of anti-fibrotic agents.
Roles Of Interleukins, Chemokines And Circulating Cells In Cardiac Fibrosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$434,134.00
Summary
Cardiac fibrosis is a disease of the heart in which large amounts of collagen are deposited within the heart tissue. This leads to poor heart function and may also lead to sudden death due to arrhythmias (abnormal electrical pulses). This study sets out to define the role of substances called interleukins and special circulating cells called lymphocytes, macrophages and progenitor cells in the development of cardiac fibrosis.
Regulation Of Endogenous Heart Regeneration By An Anti-fibrotic MicroRNA.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,949.00
Summary
In contrast to the adult heart, the newborn heart undergoes scarless healing following a heart attack. The molecular mechanisms that govern heart regeneration in newborn mammals are not fully understood. The goal of the current study is to determine the role of a recently identified family of molecules known as microRNAs in the regulation of scarless healing. We propose a novel strategy for re-activation of microRNAs in the adult heart to promote regeneration following heart attack.
NOVEL CGMP-BASED THERAPIES PREVENT LEFT VENTRICULAR REMODELLING
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$533,433.00
Summary
Over 300,000 Australians are affected by heart failure. Current drugs for cardiac remodelling (the decline in heart pumping function and changed structure that precede heart failure) slow but not reverse disease progression. We have identified a new, nitrovasodilator-based therapy superior to those currently available. We propose it represents a more effective treatment for reversing abnormalities in both structure and function in the remodelled heart, preventing or delaying heart failure.
Anti-inflammatory Compound Development For The Treatment Of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$674,659.00
Summary
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a highly prevalent and rapidly growing heart condition with no proven effective therapies. We will develop novel drugs to treat HFpEF by focussing on heart scarring and inflammation. We have promising drug candidates that will be developed during the project, and these will be ready for for phase I clinical trial by the end of this grant. The outcome of this study is poised to address the significant unmet medical need.