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Kolling researcher and Royal North Shore Hospital cardiologist Dr Rebecca Kozor will lead a world-first study using MRI technology to improve the diagnosis of heart failure.

The trial has been made possible following a $50,000 Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand-Boehringer Ingelheim innovation grant.

Dr Kozor has welcomed the funding to quantify pulmonary congestion or lung water density in heart failure patients during exercise.

“Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is a significant health burden in Australia and worldwide, but it’s also notoriously challenging to diagnose,” Dr Kozor said.

“Cardiac MRI technology offers a non-invasive way to quantify pulmonary congestion and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure through imaging of water density in the lung tissue.

“Our trial will be a global first, with patients to operate a reclined bicycle inside the MRI machine to elevate heart rates prior to the MRI scanning of the heart and lung tissue.

“There’s a real potential to improve the diagnosis of heart failure by measuring lung water density, and identify cases where cardiac dysfunction only presents during exertion.”

Dr Kozor said that validating this new MRI technique during exercise could provide a valuable way for researchers to accurately and non-invasively study the effects of new interventions and heart failure treatments.

Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand President Professor Clara Chow congratulated Dr Kozor on the insight and imagination shown in her grant submission.

“Half of all people diagnosed with heart failure die within five years, so research funding is critical to encouraging our best minds to find breakthroughs that benefit patients,” she said.

Professor Gemma Figtree has led a successful bid for a Cardiovascular Centre of Excellence, securing $2.5 million in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. (NHMRC)

Around 20 national and international collaborators will be involved in the research, targeting the global heart disease epidemic through new diagnostic techniques and prevention strategies.

Professor Figtree has welcomed the significant funding, with one Australian suffering a heart attack every 10 minutes, many without prior warning.

“Our research will investigate what contributes to atherosclerosis beyond the traditional risk factors, and this will broaden our understanding of how to manage patients who suffer a heart attack without any risk factors,” she said.

“We will look to establish new biomarkers and clinical pathways for detection of atherosclerosis, while the team will also be working to develop secondary prevention strategies.

“The Centre of Excellence is an exciting step in the battle against heart disease, and demonstrates the increasing co-ordination of cardiovascular research across the country.

“It also highlights the tremendous expertise we have here within the Kolling and on the Royal North Shore Hospital campus.”

NHMRC funds will also go towards an innovative project developed by the Kolling’s Executive Director Professor Carolyn Sue to improve access to diagnosis for mitochondrial disease patients.

“Mitochondrial disease is the most common inherited metabolic condition. It can be diagnosed using whole genome sequencing, but access to testing is currently restricted,” Prof Sue said.

“Through this project, we will partner with the NSLHD and the NSW Ministry of Health, to develop a unique web-based platform to support the diagnosis of patients with or suspected to have Mitochondrial disease.

“The platform will assist health professionals including GPs to deliver a precise genetic diagnosis, and importantly, this will inform treatment and family planning.

“I’m delighted to see this ground-breaking project progress. It represents many years in the planning and promises to deliver significant national and global benefits.

“We are well placed to achieve results given the clinical and scientific expertise within the hospital and the Kolling’s neurogenetics team.”