Innovation Grant Winners 2022

NSW’s most outstanding young cardiovascular scientists awarded 2022 Research Innovation Grants

10 January 2022

Projects investigating stroke, arrhythmias and congenital heart disease have been highlighted as winners of the annual Research Innovation Grants, a joint initiative of the NSW Cardiovascular Research Network (CVRN) and Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI).

Five early and mid-career researchers are the recipients of the $5,000 NSW CVRN-VCCRI Research Innovation Grants, which will provide access to the Institute’s world-leading Innovation Centre.

As well as being able to utilise the incredible technologies on hand, including the Cell Function & Screening Facility and the 7T PET-MRI, the scientists will also benefit from working with the expert staff in the Innovation Centre and senior researchers at VCCRI.

Dr Johanna Barclay, Head of Scientific Innovation, said these funds were crucial to helping young scientists gain experience.

“It can often be very difficult for researchers at the beginning of their careers to access funding. These grants help bridge that gap and allow researchers to accelerate their projects and deliver on their potential.

“It was an incredibly competitive process but these projects stood out because they are really exciting, innovative in their approach, and likely to make real progress in our fight against cardiovascular disease.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for everybody involved. It will not only provide mentorship to the young stars of the future but we will also benefit from their new and fresh perspectives in their areas of research.”

The five winners of the grants supported by the NSW CVRN are:

Dr Daniel Beard (University of Newcastle) - Investigating the role of pericytes in leptomeningeal collateral vessel function
Dr Kayleigh Bozon (Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute) - Longitudinal analysis of NAD deficiency over gestation to determine how timing dictates malformation type and severity
Dr Jaesung Peter Choi (Centenary Institute) - Elucidating the role of the microbiome in cerebral cavernous malformation induced stroke
Dr Kirsten Coupland (University of Newcastle) - Mapping temporal changes in cerebrospinal fluid composition after stroke for future drug discovery
Dr Pierre Qian (Westmead Applied Research Centre) - Mechanisms underlying therapeutic effects of ionizing radiation on cardiomyocyte arrhythmias

All projects are expected to be completed within 12 months.

-- ENDS --

For all media enquiries and interview requests, please contact:

Julia Timms
Head, Media & Communications
j.timms@victorchang.edu.au
0457 517 355