AIBN researchers are harnessing biological nanoparticles to help open-heart surgery patients bounce back after their operations.
Associate Professor Joy Wolfram is one of two University of Queensland (UQ) researchers to secure a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship in the latest funding round, and plans to use her $561,600 prize to develop a new range of therapeutics that reduce heart inflammation and tissue damage following open-heart surgery.
Associate Porfessor Wolfram is an AIBN group leader who is jointly affiliated with UQ's School of Chemical Engineering, and specialises in the field of extracellular vesicles – the tiny internal packages our body uses for communication.
Join The Network
Stay on top of our industry news and developments, events and opportunities, by joining The Network
Sign up todayThrough her Heart Foundation fellowship, she plans to take extracellular vesicles from healthy individuals and engineer them as new treatments to help those who’ve undergone open-heart surgery.
“The long-term goal of this work is to save lives and enhance quality of life for patients.”
Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd congratulated Associate Professor Wolfram and fellow School of Chemical Engineering winner Dr Mark Allenby, and thanked donors for their support in funding this vital research.
“Cardiovascular disease remains a devastating health issue, claiming the lives of one person every 18 minutes,” he said.
“Researchers play a crucial role in working to turn this statistic around. Their work helps us understand the causes, develop more effective treatments, and improve prevention strategies."
The fellowship caps a big 2024 for Associate Professor Wolfram, who in April secured a $590,452 grant from the National Breast Cancer Foundation to explore how extracellular vesicles can be used to fight a particularly deadly type of breast cancer.
Meanhwile, in September, the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) named Professor Wolfram Queensland's Young Tall Poppy of the Year on the back of her research excellence and a passion for science communication.
