Researchers snare grants for heart projects

Two leading researchers from The George Institute for Global Health have been awarded Senior and Early-to-Mid-Career Researcher Grants from NSW Health under the Cardiovascular Research Capacity Program, to drive groundbreaking projects in heart disease.

Associate Professor Clare Arnott, Global Director of the Cardiovascular Program at The George Institute, Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney, Staff Specialist Cardiologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and incoming Pagent Director of Heart Lung Research at St Vincent’s Hospital, has secured $444,800 to undertake a trial exploring the cardiac benefits of a new heart medication for people living with HIV. This is a collaboration with Professor Gail Matthews and the Kirby Institute, who are leading the larger clinical trial.

“People living with HIV face double the risk of cardiovascular disease compared to the general population, due to both the virus and its treatments,” commented Clare.

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Our study will provide crucial information for better clinical care and ultimately inform more holistic treatment for people with HIV.

By:

Associate Professor Clare Arnott

Global Director of the Cardiovascular Program, The George Institute

Common HIV medications called integrase inhibitors (INSTIs) are linked to heart disease, weight gain, and high blood pressure. Most research looking to address this issue has focused on certain statins that are too expensive for many people.

Clare’s research will assess whether another class of medication called SGLT2 inhibitors, used for diabetes, could also improve metabolic and cardiovascular results for those with HIV, as well as exploring the safety and efficacy of more affordable and widely accessible statins.

Associate Professor Brendon Neuen, Senior Research Fellow, Renal and Metabolic Program, at The George Institute, Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney, and Staff Specialist Nephrologist and Director of Kidney Trials at Royal North Shore Hospital has been awarded $440,900 to establish an international consortium to find the best way to track loss of kidney function in heart failure trials.

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Nearly half of people diagnosed with heart failure also have chronic kidney disease, which means they do worse overall and are admitted to hospital more often. However, without standardised methods to measure loss of kidney function in heart failure trials, we are potentially missing opportunities to identify treatments that can protect the heart and kidney simultaneously.

By:

Associate Professor Brendon Neuen

Senior Research Fellow, Renal and Metabolic Program

His funding will enable a team to establish the Renal Outcomes in Cardiac Failure and Kidney Disease Epidemiology and Trials (ROCKET) Consortium, which will analyse data from 12 landmark heart failure trials of more than 50,000 participants, which have established guideline-directed medical therapies for HF, to refine how the loss of kidney function is evaluated in these patients.

The study is already drawing attention from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with the findings having the potential to reshape drug development and regulatory standards for both heart failure treatments and kidney disease.