Two Kolling Institute researchers have welcomed a significant funding boost through a large NSW Government program to help tackle Australia’s number one killer, heart disease.
Professors Gemma Figtree (pictured below) and Martin Ugander have each been awarded a $750,000 grant to encourage researchers to find breakthroughs and help establish NSW as a centre for research excellence.
The funding is part of a broader program investing $150 million in cardiovascular research over the next 10 years.
It’s hoped the cash injection will help drive scientific discoveries and develop innovative therapies for cardiovascular disease.
Professor Figtree, who is an interventional cardiologist at RNSH, will look at the increasing number of people who suffer a heart attack despite not being seen as at risk.
She plans to identify new mechanisms and biological markers of both coronary artery disease susceptibility and resilience.
"Cardiovascular disease is our biggest killer of both men and women and it’s not just killing us, it’s dramatically affecting our health and wellbeing," she said.