[ad_1]
Understanding the increased risk of heart disease faced
by premature babies and their mothers, how valve disease
progresses from mild to severe symptoms, and exploring heart
failure disparities for Māori and Pacific people are just
three of the projects awarded funding by the Heart
Foundation today, World Heart Day.
Today’s
announcement sees the Heart Foundation award $3.1 million to
fund heart research and overseas training for cardiologists,
taking the total awarded by the charity since its formation
to more than $85 million.
Heart Foundation Medical
Director Dr Gerry Devlin says, “This year’s funding
includes a range of projects focused on early-stage science
and prevention measures.”
“These types of projects
can sometimes take longer to influence medical practice or
produce tangible outcomes, but it’s vitally important we
invest across the full spectrum from discovery science and
prevention to treatment and cure.”
“The ways in
which we diagnose and treat heart disease have changed
dramatically in recent years. Advances in risk prediction
and the early recognition of symptoms now allows for early
diagnosis, treatment, and better management for people
living with heart disease.”
“The incredible
generosity of our supporters allows us to make a positive
impact, enabling our researchers, innovators, doctors and
nurses to keep making progress on improving heart health for
New Zealanders.”
Among the list of grant recipients
this year is University of Otago specialist neonatal
paediatrician Dr Sarah Harris. The funding builds on earlier
Heart Foundation investment in Dr Harris and her research
that is examining the connection between premature birth and
the risk of heart disease of mother and baby in later
life.
“In New Zealand, one in thirteen babies are
born prematurely. New evidence suggests premature birth
increases the risk of developing heart disease, however this
is not included in current heart risk calculations,” says
Sarah.
This work is of particular importance to
Māori, who have higher rates of both premature birth and
heart disease. All involved are keen to ensure our heart
screening in New Zealand is not missing an important risk
factor.
Also awarded funding in this year’s
announcement is University of Otago PhD candidate and
fourth-year Medical Student, Matthew Moore, who has received
a Postgraduate Scholarship to research aortic valve
disease.
Little is known about how quickly heart
valves progress from a mild thickening to a more severe,
complete hardening of the valves which can lead to heart
failure and premature death.
In his research, Matthew
hopes to help inform doctors about how often those with mild
aortic valve disease need check-ups and develop a better
understanding of other associated health risks.
This
year’s funding will also see new research undertaken to
further support those with heart failure, and in particular
address outcomes for Māori and Pacific
people.
University of Auckland Research Fellow, Dr
Sandra Hanchard, the recipient of the inaugural Pacific
Research Fellowship, jointly funded with Pūtahi Manawa
(Healthy Hearts for Aotearoa New Zealand), aims to help
whānau with heart failure enjoy a higher quality of life
through having ownership over their own health journey,
supported by more integrated care between primary and
secondary providers.
Her research stands to drive
system-wide improvements to heart failure care management,
improving the consistency of heart failure care in New
Zealand hospitals and delivering wide reaching benefits to
priority communities.
Other funding awarded includes
support for research to understand how whānau modify their
behaviour in a kaupapa Māori clinical exercise programme;
the role of glycogen in the diabetic heart and novel
treatment targets to test potential new therapies; how
ultra-processed foods are defined and categorised to provide
dietary information that can be matched to heart disease
prevalence.
In addition to new funding, additional
support has also been announced for promising ongoing work
including the development of a pacemaker that mimics a
healthy heart and improves the function and structure of the
heart in heart failure.
Gerry says the outcomes for
people with heart attacks and other heart conditions have
improved dramatically due to research. New and better
treatments are resulting in longer and healthier lives for
thousands of New Zealanders.
“Some of the projects
we are funding are ambitious, but it’s by exploring new
ideas and innovative ways of doing things that we will
continue to deliver on our purpose to stop all people in New
Zealand dying prematurely from heart disease and enable
people with heart disease to live full lives.”
“We
learn more about the heart each year thanks to continued
investment in research and overseas training for our New
Zealand cardiologists.”
A full list of research
recipients can be found on the Heart Foundation website www.heartfoundation.org.nz/
© Scoop Media
[ad_2]
Source link