Cardiac Regeneration Group

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 31% of all deaths – more than all forms of cancer combined. Despite the ability of modern medicine to diagnose and treat many of the underlying causes of heart injury, the heart’s ability to regenerate itself after major trauma is poor.

The Cardiac Regeneration Group combines basic science with clinical research to create stem cell and growth factor-based therapies for regenerating the injured heart. We also have an interest in cardiac disease and repair processes, and are developing bioengineering tools for disease modelling, investigating the immune response after myocardial infarction, and exploring the development of cardiomyopathies.

We work closely with the Cardiac Gene Therapy Group, with whom we make up the Centre for Heart Research. We also have extensive collaborations with clinicians at Westmead Hospital, and researchers at The University of Sydney.

To learn more about our research, visit our website chonglaboratory.com

Recent Achievements

  • The Centre has established a significant capacity to perform the highest quality research, with focus on small and large cardiac animal models, for testing for safety and efficacy prior to human treatments.
  • Working to develop a system for regulatory approaches for phase 1 clinical trials and staffing of this initiative
  • Working to develop a multidisciplinary approach to Cardiovascular research by harnessing the strengths of clinicians and scientists through collaborations, both local and international

Recent publications

Tropoelastin improves post-infarct cardiac function by increasing scar elastin. Circulation Research

December 2022

PDGF-AB reduces myofibroblast differentiation without increasing proliferation after myocardial infarction. JACC Basic to Translational Science 2023

June 2023

Delivery of Cardioactive Therapeutics in a Porcine Myocardial Infarction Model. Nature Communications 2022

September 2022

 

NAME ROLE
Zoe Clayton Project Coordinator
Leila Reyes Post Doctoral Researcher
Alan Marcus Research Veterinarian
Haisam Shah Research Assistant
Siqi Chen Research Assistant
Emily McKinna PhD Student
Fairooj Rashid PhD Student
Tejas Deshmukh PhD Student
Samia Kazi PhD Student
Sally Kim PhD Student

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