We're delighted to announce $6.5 million in philanthropic investments from the Colonial Foundation and philanthropist, David Russell, to supercharge our research to develop an mRNA-based vaccine for atherosclerosis to prevent heart attacks and save lives.
Atherosclerosis, which involves the build-up of fats and cell debris inside artery walls, is a progressive and often silent disease. Heart attacks are typically caused by the rupture of atherosclerotic plaques in the heart's arteries, which can occur without warning. This leads to blood clots that block the flow of blood and oxygen, resulting in death or substantial long-term damage to the heart. Currently around one in three of us will suffer a heart attack during our lifetime and many of us will die of it.
Unlocking how and why these plaques rupture is critical to stopping heart attacks before they happen. At the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, our researchers are doing just that.
The investments build on pioneering discoveries by cardiologist Professor Karlheinz Peter and immunologist Dr Jonathan Noonan, who deciphered how rogue immune responses, driven by white blood cells known as T cells, can damage the arteries and destabilise plaques. The response is similar to what occurs in autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
Their work is transforming our understanding of atherosclerosis and paving the way for the development of game changing new therapeutics that block T cells to prevent plaque rupture and thereby, prevent heart attacks.
To block these T cell responses, the team will use state-of-the-art technologies to identify the exact molecules within atherosclerotic plaques that drive inflammatory T cell responses in the arteries. They then aim to harness mRNA technology to create a vaccine that reprograms these harmful T cells, stopping them from doing damage and causing plaque rupture and heart attacks.
Such an ambitious research goal has been made possible by the expertise at the Centre for Cardiometabolic mRNA Therapy, established in 2024 by Professor Xiaowei Wang and Prof. Peter, with the aim to accelerate mRNA innovation in heart disease. Prof. Wang has established several innovative technologies for the delivery of such mRNA vaccines, including nasal applications.
Not only will this work significantly improve our understanding of the application of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for cardiovascular disease, but our findings may also be applied to treat other deadly diseases.
Baker Institute Director, Professor John Greenwood says finding a treatment to prevent heart attacks is the holy grail in cardiology. "Imagine if we could use a vaccine to prevent heart attacks," Professor Greenwood says.
"We know vaccines have a long and successful history, and during COVID-19 vaccines using advanced mRNA technology were rapidly developed and saved numerous lives. We're now aiming to bring that same revolutionary lifesaving capacity to cardiovascular disease," he says.
"There are very few global teams looking at mRNA technology in cardiovascular disease and we stand on the cusp of something very exciting. Understanding the mechanisms of heart attack and preventing it is a core pillar of our research program, and we're excited about the possibilities to transform the prevention space."
The Colonial Foundation has contributed $4.5 million to this pioneering work. CEO Mr André Carstens says "We are thrilled to enter a new partnership with the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in the pursuit of better health outcomes for the Australian community. The prospect of developing a new defence against heart attacks is a vital step forward in finding solutions for addressing a major disease affecting the lives of too many Australians."
David Russell has donated $2 million, noting "we are immensely fortunate and excited to partner with the world's leading heart research institute, to advance our ability to utilise mRNA technologies to prioritise curing heart disease, the biggest killer of men and women".
