Delegates from around Australia and the world gathered at the annual Sydney Cardiovascular Symposium - jointly hosted by the Heart Research Institute (HRI), Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Westmead Institute of Medical Research and The George Institute for Global Health.
The Symposium, now in its seventh year, brings together researchers and clinicians to share and collaborate in the collective goal of better prevention, treatment and cure for heart disease.
This year's theme was ‘From molecules to therapies for cardiovascular disease’ and explored ideas on obesity, fibrosis, and inflammation.
There was an impressive line-up of local, interstate and international speakers in this year’s program, held on October 31 to November 1, spearheaded by the two plenary lecturers, Prof Tina Vilsbøll and Prof Richard Harvey.
Prof Vilsbøll, from the University of Copenhagen, gave the Clinical Plenary Lecture: ‘Treating obesity and cardiovascular outcomes’. Prof Vilsbøll has made seminal contributions to understanding the pathophysiology of obesity, including leading the clinical trials showing the cardiovascular benefits of Ozempic.
The iconic Princesses’ Lecture, named in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Mary of Denmark, was given by Prof Richard Harvey, one of the pioneers of cardiac developmental biology, from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. His talk, titled ‘A line made by walking’, highlighted how new developments in single cell biology are enabling a deeper understanding of how the heart works and responds to a heart attack.
Images: Industry pitch panel and Dr Chris Stanley. Credit: Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
HRI had a large contingent of researchers at the two-day conference, which was held at the Garvan Institute. Dr Chris Stanley, leader of the Microvascular Research Group, and Dr Ashish Misra, leader of the Atherosclerosis and Vascular Remodelling Unit, were both invited speakers. Prof Ben Freedman, leader of the Heart Rhythm and Stroke Prevention Group, chaired a session.
Dr Stanley gave a fascinating talk on “cis-WOOH: A novel, inflammation specific, arterial hyperpolarising factor”, while Dr Misra presented his work on “Inflammation in atherosclerosis: implications for plaque cell fate”.
The Symposium also provided early and mid-career researchers with the opportunity to showcase their work with prizes for Rising Stars, Best Speakers and Best Posters. There was also an industry pitch panel with young scientists pitching their ideas for developing the next generation of therapeutics.
As always, the Symposium was a fantastic opportunity for discussions and networking across the cardiovascular research community and we look forward to its return in 2025.