The Dead Heart Project: When Is A 'dead' Heart Truly Dead?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,672,053.00
Summary
Best practice treatment for end-stage heart failure is heart transplantation, yet donor heart availability is deficient and limited by current practices. Using extensive basic and clinical research approaches, this project aims to increase donor heart quantity and quality by profiling current and novel donor heart sources, and extending donor heart storage time and quality using a novel transport device and therapeutic agents - thus increasing the number of successful transplant recipients.
Exercise As Medicine For Heart Failure: A Novel Intervention To Improve Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$665,585.00
Summary
Heart failure (HF) is a common, debilitating and expensive disease; prognosis remains poorer than for the most cancers. 30,000 Australians are diagnosed every year and 300,000 live with the HF, at an annual cost of ~$1Billion. Exercise training is effective therapy in HF, because it reverses many of the problems that contribute to the reduced lifespan and impaired quality of life of patients with HF. We will test an exciting new type of exercise that promising greater benefit, at lower risk.
Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy And AV Node Ablation For Atrial Fibrillation In Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,274,979.00
Summary
Heart failure (HF) and Atrial Fibrillation (AF) are both significant health issues that often coexist. Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) is a proven therapy for HF with ventricular dyssynchrony (uncoordinated contraction of the left ventricle). While CRT reduces symptoms and improves survival in normal rhythm, there are mixed reports in patients with AF. This prospective randomised multicentre study, will assess the role of AV node ablation to improve outcomes in CRT in AF.
Upscaling Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Differentiation Of IPS Cells, Enrichment And Bionic Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$709,758.00
Summary
Stem cell therapies to repair heart muscle are experimental methods which promise future clinical treatments. Our tissue engineering chamber model provides a protective environment for implanted cells and generates contracting heart tissue. Towards clinical application we will scale up the tissue volume produced by: improving cell supply with new stem cell technologies, design chambers for bulk cell implantation, adopt a bionic approach to cell pacing and apply the model into larger animals.
Cardiomyopathies (heart muscle problems) are the most common inherited heart conditions and represent an important clinical problem. The clinical and psychosocial impact on both the children and their families is significant. The proposed research will improve our understanding of the clinical and genetic basis of childhood cardiomyopathies, and how genetic factors may influence the development, progression, and clinical outcome, including heart failure, transplantation, and sudden death.
Local Cardiac Sex Steroids - New Therapeutic Targets
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$646,994.00
Summary
The sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone, are implicated in susceptibility to heart diseases - the timing and type of disease development is different for women and men. The mechanisms for this are unknown. In this project we investigate the synthesis and breakdown of these hormones in the heart and determine how local hormone levels may affect heart muscle cell survival and function. The aim is to find ways of adjusting hormone balance to optimize protection when the heart is under stress.
New CaMKII Therapeutic Targets In Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$740,335.00
Summary
Deaths associated with impaired heart muscle relaxation and unstable cardiac cycle rhythm are increasing. The mechanisms by which these pathologies occur are not understood and clinical therapies are lacking. We have novel evidence to suggest that a key signalling protein, CaMKII, is critically involved in the development of these forms of heart pathology. This goal of this project is to identify how CaMKII is implicated in heart failure and dysrhythmia as a basis for designing new therapies.
Mechanisms Underlying The Contribution Of Uremic Toxins To Cardiorenal Syndrome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,533.00
Summary
Cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) is an umbrella term that defines disorders of the heart and kidneys whereby “acute or chronic dysfunction in one organ may induce acute or chronic dysfunction of the other”. We have demonstrated a significant association between heart and kidney fibrosis (scarring) and levels of a uremic toxin called indoxyl sulphate (IS), in relevant animal models and that blockade of production of this toxin reduces cardiac fibrosis. This project aims to explore this association.
Fibrosis is a common feature of many forms of heart disease. Despite the recognised central role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiac fibrosis, antioxidant approaches have failed in clinical trials. We have discovered a new mechanism for ROS-mediated fibrosis that is depleted in human heart failure, and will test an innovative therapeutic approach that is imminently translatable given the development by members of our team of a specific peptide blocker effective in blocking this pathway.
Novel Therapy For Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,068,984.00
Summary
Heart failure is a major cardiovascular problem. Up to half of the patients have a specific problem with heart muscle relaxation. There is no effective therapy for this type of heart failure. We will investigate the effects of new treatment approach using a range of experimental and clinical methods. If successful the treatment could move quickly into clinical practice.