Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s (MCRI) Dr Holly Voges has received funding to better understand rheumatic heart disease (RHD), using cutting-edge stem cell technology.

The two-year, $150,000 Vanguard Grant from the Heart Foundation will allow Dr Voges to examine how the immune system causes heart damage, using the world’s first human heart valve tissue made from stem cells.

Vanguard Grants are allocated to projects that can produce tangible outcomes in the future and potentially advance research and improve heart health.

Dr Voges said that no drugs, vaccines or single diagnostic test was currently available to diagnose or treat RHD.

“RHD is triggered by Strep A bacteria that usually cause a sore throat and fever, but in some people their infection becomes more serious and leads to the immune system attacking valves in the heart and causing irreversible damage,” she said.

“This process only occurs in humans, so we will use blood samples and lab-grown human heart tissue made from stem cells to better understand how and why our immune system may attack our heart valves.”

Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd said; “Cardiovascular disease remains a devastating health issue, claiming the lives of one person every 18 minutes. Researchers play a crucial role in working to turn this statistic around. Their work helps us understand the causes, develop more effective treatments and improve prevention strategies.”

Dr Voges hoped the findings would inform effective prevention and treatment strategies in the future.

“RHD affects over 41 million people worldwide, and in Australia RHD mostly impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with women and children the most at risk,” she said.

“This research could ultimately help us to improve the lives of people with this condition or prevent it from occurring entirely.”

Read more about MCRI’s heart regeneration research.