Professor Bob Graham, Cardiologist and Head, Molecular Cardiology & Biophysics at Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute is leading Australia’s largest research study into Sudden Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) at the St Vincent’s Sydney Health Innovation Precinct.
SCAD accounts for 25% of all heart attacks in women aged 50 and less and strikes women who are otherwise healthy and do not display the traditional heart disease risk factors. The causes of SCAD are not fully known but it’s believed SCAD is driven by blood vessel changes, extreme stress, hormonal changes in women related to pregnancy and menopause, and a genetic component.
In collaboration with St Vincent’s Hospital, Professor Graham’s team is screening the entire genetic makeup of SCAD survivors using whole genome sequencing with the assistance of the Garvan Institute’s Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics Sequencing Laboratory with a view to identifying the gene mutations that may cause the disease.
The world-leading research into SCAD is already delivering results.
In work led by the Institute’s Director Professor Jason Kovacic, the first ever gene to be linked to SCAD PHACTR1 has been identified. Professor Kovacic’s team is now studying PHACTR1 to better understand its function.
This is an example of effective intra-precinct collaboration.
