James Chong
Professor
Centre Director
PhD, FRACP, MBBS
James.chong@wimr.org.au
Currently open to PHD and Honours students in the topic areas of:
Human Pluripotent Stem Cells (hPSC) for cardiac regeneration
Cell populations in cardiac disease and repair
Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) as a driver of cardiac repair
Biography
Professor James Chong is an interventional cardiologist at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital and head of the Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory at Westmead Institute for Medical Research. James’ research focuses on developing new and effective treatments for repairing and regenerating the heart.
He has over a decade of experience in developing stem cell-based therapies for cardiac regeneration and is currently investigating methods for enhancing the regenerative capacity of pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. James is also interested in understanding the mechanisms by which the cardiac matrix impacts heart repair after myocardial infarction (heart attack), in particular, the effect of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) on cardiac matrix composition and remodelling.
James’ research has been published in top journals in the field of stem cell biology, including Nature, Nature Communications, Cell Stem Cell and Science Translational Medicine. He has also secured more than $10m in funding, including a recent NHMRC/MRFF Investigator grant.
He was awarded the prestigious 2024 Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Jian Zhou Medal and won a number of accolades for his work, including a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, and was named one of the Rising Stars in Cardiovascular Research by the NSW Minister for Health.
Research interests
Heart regeneration, Therapeutic application of stem cells, Coronary atherosclerosis and thrombosis, Development of new therapies for heart disease
Adjunct roles
| Honorary Faculty Member | Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute |
| Faculty and Executive | Westmead Institute for Medical Research |
| Honorary Professor | University of Queensland |
| Clinical Lead for Cardiovascular Research | Westmead Hospital |
| Scientific Advisory Board | |
| Executive Committee Member | Westmead Applied Research Centre |
| Cardiovascular research consultant | Implicit Bioscience |
Recent publications
Tropoelastin improves post-infarct cardiac function by increasing scar elastin
PDGF-AB reduces myofibroblast differentiation without increasing proliferation after myocardial infarction
Delivery of Cardioactive Therapeutics in a Porcine Myocardial Infarction Model
NETosis and thrombosis in vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia
Platelet-derived growth factor-AB improves scar mechanics and vascularity after myocardial infarction.
Additional information
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=MPJ239MAAAAJ&hl=en
USYD link – https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/aaron-schindeler.html
Related News
Current grants
| Australian Stroke and Heart Research Accelerator Project Grant | 2023 | Generation of low arrhythmogenic induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (PSC-CMs) to treat severe heart failure |
| Medical Research Future Fund/National Health and Medical Research Council Stem Cell Mission | 2021 | Induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes: a new therapy for “no-option” end stage heart failure |
| Medical Research Future Fund/National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant | 2020 | Innovative regenerative therapies for heart repair |
Affiliations
Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital
Professional Associations and Organisations
| 2018-present | Centre for Commercialisation of Regenerative Medicine Australia | Scientific Advisory Board |
| 2021-present | Implicit Bioscience | Cardiovascular research consultant |
| 2022-present | Australian Stroke and Heart Research Accelerator | Research Committee member |
Awards and recognition
| 2022 Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Mentor Program (selected as 1 of 6 Mentees) |
| 2019 Alan Skyring Memorial Award, Australasian Society for Medical Research |
| 2018 Early-Mid Career Fellowship, NSW Government, OHMR ($250,000). |
| 2016 Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia ($50,000). |
