Study of arterial disease

Alison Heather
Alison Heather
A University of Otago researcher has secured nearly $200,000 to continue her research into preventing atherosclerosis, the leading cause of deaths from heart disease.

Alison Heather, of the department of physiology, is one of a raft of Otago scientists who together received nearly $1.6million from the Heart Foundation in the latest funding round.

Prof Heather received $194,385 to enable her research team to evaluate the therapeutic potential of a protein they have identified which may prevent atherosclerosis developing.

The disease starts with the build-up of fat-filled lesions in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

Prof Heather and her research team have identified a protein, called CaMKII, which could be an important factor in forming lesions in the coronary arteries.

Other successful researchers included Kathryn Hally, of the department of surgery and anaesthesia at the Wellington campus, who was given a research fellowship of $255,000.

Ms Hally and her research team aimed to find a way to track the level of inflammation in patients' blood during hospitalisation after a heart attack.

Department of physiology researcher Michelle Munro received a fellowship of $241,143 and a small project grant of $14,500 to work on restoring calcium balance in atrial fibrillation, and Rory Miller secured a grant of $177,000 for work on diagnosing chest pain and identifying patients at risk of a heart attack.

Department of physiology researcher Carol Bussey received a $164,998 research fellowship and a $127,183 project grant for work on type 2 diabetes.

Christchurch academics Sarah Appleby, Prisca Mbikou and Janice Chew-Harris, and Dunedin researchers Sean Coffey, Regis Lamberts, Dirk De Ridder and Cassidy Moeke also received grants.

Wellington campus department of medicine researcher Ryan Sixtus received a $52,000 postgraduate scholarship for research into premature birth and cardiovascular disease in later life.

elena.mcphee@odt.co.nz

 

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