Western Australians with genetic cholesterol abnormalities that predispose them to early heart attacks are set to benefit from new State Government-funded research.
Fiona Stanley Hospital researcher Dr Biyanka Jaltotage has been awarded a Registrar Research Fellowship to investigate whether heart scans of these already high-risk patients could contain life-saving clues.
Dr Jaltotage will undertake a retrospective analysis of more than 400 heart scans of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) - an inherited condition that puts individuals at heightened risk of an early heart attack.
The focus of his analysis will be on perivascular fat (fat that surrounds the arteries) and plaque that has built up inside the coronary arteries of these high-risk patients.
Dr Jaltotage will be looking for two markers - changes in the plaque and composition of perivascular fat. These markers are a sign of coronary artery plaque that is at risk of rupturing - which may increase the likelihood of a clot and subsequent heart attack.
The markers have been effective in identifying those at risk of heart attacks. Now Dr Jaltotage will see if they are just as effective in high-risk populations where perivascular fat is differently dispersed and of a different composition.
The research could lead to more targeted treatments for those most at risk as well as further trials in other populations at high risk of heart attacks, including diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis patients.
This project is jointly supervised by Winthrop Professor Gerald Watts and Professor Girish Dwivedi with access to the Western Australian FH database. This database is one of the best in the world, making WA one of the few places where this project could be undertaken.
Dr Jaltotage is among eight researchers awarded a Registrar Research Fellowship and will share in $645,270 in the fourth round of the program.
The program is designed to enhance the research capability of the WA Health Registrar workforce by enabling doctors-in-training to pursue research alongside their clinical duties, all while under the supervision of senior clinician researchers.
The full list of recipients can be found on the Department of Health website.
As stated by Health Minister Roger Cook:
"This study has the potential to profoundly improve the lives of Western Australians who are at heightened risk of an early heart attack by identifying them early, meaning they can get the get the intensive treatment they need.
"It is also a great example of the important research taking place within the WA Health system and of the enormous value of data.
"We know that the best health systems in the world are those that embed research and innovation with clinical practice. Supporting our doctors in hospitals to conduct research as part of their activities, provides better clinical outcomes for West Australian patients.
"The project also aligns with key State Government priorities of preventative health and patient-centred care."
