Cardiovascular disease
Is a collective term for diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Commonly including diseases such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. We still have much to learn with cardiovascular research to solve the world’s biggest killer.
Cardiovascular research
Currently, one of the major problems facing Australian families and communities and the leading causes of death. One in three Australians are reported to suffer from some form of heart disease and cardiovascular disease kills one Australian every 12 minutes.
Now our world-recognised scientists are focusing their cardiovascular research on mechanisms that cause strokes and heart attacks. As well as the genes that are associated with causing sudden death in young people. We are working on new drugs that improve vascular treatments and outcomes in a number of blood vessel related diseases. Developing a clinical approach that better serves the community.
Our research programs and laboratories investigating cardiovascular disease
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Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology
The Molecular Cardiology program is the study of genetic heart disorders. Our major goal is to reduce human disease by combining basic science research and clinical cardiology.
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Vascular Biology Program
The Vascular Biology program seeks to understand the ageing process on the function of blood vessels and the impact on the development of disease. Ultimately the work may help us “age better”. -
David Richmond Laboratory for Cardiovascular Development: Gene Regulation and Editing Program
The David Richmond Laboratory for Cardiovascular Development: Gene Regulation and Editing is focused on identifying new and innovative therapeutic approaches targeting vascular disease. -
Bioinformatics and Molecular Genetics Laboratory
Our ability to read DNA sequence has far exceeded our ability to identify genetic variants which cause inherited diseases. To address this shortcoming, the Bioinformatics and Molecular Genetics Group develop new computer-based approaches and laboratory-based methods to identify and characterise disease-causing genetic variants, with a current focus on inherited heart diseases and sudden cardiac death in young people. -
Lipid Cell Biology Laboratory
Our research is focused on the lipid metabolic causes of chronic human diseases, including diabetes, fatty liver, cancer and atherosclerosis. -
Sports Cardiology Laboratory
Our multidisciplinary team is working on a range of projects on sports cardiology, cardiac screening and best practice implementation, including the legal and ethical aspects of screening.
Achievements
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Research boost for heart muscle disease
World-leading research into heart muscle disease has been boosted with the Centenary Institute’s Associate Professor Mathias Francois and team awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grant to investigate left ventricular non compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC). -
Increased genetic testing required to identify concealed cardiomyopathy
Researchers from the Centenary Institute have found that concealed cardiomyopathy is an important cause of sudden cardiac death where no cause is found from autopsy – and that genetic testing can help identify cases of concealed cardiomyopathy which provides a cause of death and also helps guide care of surviving relatives. -
Genetic testing helps detect children likely to have heart failure and require a transplant 
Genetic testing can diagnose cardiomyopathy – a disease of the heart muscle – in children and help detect who will have heart failure and require a transplant, a new study has found.
