Heart & Vascular Disease

Cardiovascular research development initiative

In 2007 the Medical Foundation agreed to support the Faculty of Medicine's cardiovascular research development initiative. Dr Ryuichi Aikawa, Dr Martin Ng and Dr Rajesh Puranik, were each awarded a grant in 2008 based on their innovative proposals for combating cadiovascular disease.

Dr Aikawa's gene therapy approach holds promise for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. In recent work, Dr Aikawa found that growth hormone expression by adeno-associated virus improves cardiac function post-myocardial infarction.

Dr Ng continues his work which saw him awarded a Medical Foundation start up grant in 2007. The projects seeks to develop highly biocompatible metallic stents to treat coronary artery disease and elastin-based synthetic conduits/arteries for bypass surgery.

Dr Puranik's study involves the completion of a cardiopulmonary exercise test, heart ultrasound and MRI scan on adult patients who were born with Tetralogy of Fallot. The aim is to develop less invasive tests for these patients and obtain information for determining the optimal time to implement various procedures and surgeries that this complicated group of patients frequently need.