The Morrison Government is investing more than $29 million in vital research initiatives to tackle the nation’s two biggest killers – heart disease and stroke.
This funding is the first round of disbursements from the Government’s 10 year, $220 million investment to boost research into heart disease and stroke through the Medical Research Future Fund’s (MRFF) Cardiovascular Health Mission.
Each year, one in five Australians are affected by heart disease and stroke, one Australian dies of cardiovascular disease every 12 minutes, and one Australian experiences a heart attack or stroke every five minutes.
Inflammation plays a critical role in the rupture of artery plaques, leading to acute stroke and despite current best treatments, many people remain at high risk of recurrent stroke events, predominantly because current therapies do not specifically target the inflammatory component of arterial disease.
Six projects will receive a share of $11 million for research that focusses on ways to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.
The University of Sydney will receive $3 million for the Colchicine After Stroke to Prevent Event Recurrence (CASPER) Study.
This project will investigate the ability of colchicine, a safe and commonly used anti-inflammatory drug, to inhibit vascular disease-associated inflammation, thereby improving clinical outcomes.
An $18 million investment from the Government will support a further six research projects that aim to reduce the impact of congenital heart disease by investigating new ways to diagnose and treat the condition.
Each year in Australia, it is estimated 2,400 babies are affected with congenital heart disease. People with complex and severe congenital heart disease require specialist treatment throughout their life.
The Congenital Heart Fitness Intervention Trial (CH-FIT) being conducted at the University of Sydney will receive $3.3 million grant support.
CH-FIT is a research project that will investigate the health impact of exercise, and the best way to help adults and children living with congenital heart disease to lead active lives. The project is the largest and most definitive exercise trial ever performed in people living with congenital heart disease.
The Morrison Government’s Cardiovascular Health Mission will support our best and brightest researchers to make game-changing discoveries through prevention strategies, earlier detection and improved outcomes for patients suffering a heart attack or stroke.
The Mission brings together researchers, health professionals, industry and patients to make transformative improvements in heart and vascular health and stroke for all Australians.
Further information on the MRFF is available at www.health.gov.au/mrff.
| Institution | Funding Amount | Project Title |
| University of Sydney | $2,997,908 | Colchicine After Stroke to Prevent Event Recurrence (CASPER) Study |
| University of New South Wales | $1,467,091 | Novel deep learning methods for large-scale cardiovascular risk screening using Australian digital health data |
| University of Melbourne | $2,138,226 | A randomised controlled trial of ultra-early, minimally invasive surgery for intracerebral haemorrhage (EVACUATE) |
| Monash University | $1,416,095 | Using Polygenic Risk Scores to Target Statin Therapy in Primary Prevention |
| University of New South Wales | $1,629,905 | Total Cardiac Care – STROKE: A randomised controlled trial of a comprehensive smartphone application-centric model of care to improve outcomes in stroke patients |
| University of New South Wales | $1,687,990 | The SaltSwitch Online Grocery Shopping (OGS) Trial: A Novel Method for Reducing Blood Pressure among Individuals with Hypertension |
| University of Sydney | $3,994,175 | An Australian Study of the Outcomes and Burden of Congenital Heart Disease |
| University of Sydney | $3,328,569 | Congenital Heart Fitness Intervention Trial: CH-FIT |
| University of Sydney | $2,081,761 | Personalised Pulmonary Valved Conduits: reducing re-operations in CHD |
| The University of Adelaide | $3,041,595 | Maternal exposures, congenital heart defects, and child development |
| The University of Queensland | $3,133,858 | Gene Expression to Predict Long-Term Outcome in Infants After Heart Surgery |
| Queensland University of Technology | $2,997,256 | CHD LIFE+ family-centred care models supporting long-term neurodevelopment |