26 October 2007
Monash University is working to develop faster diagnoses and better drugs to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a collaboration with European and local universities.
Cardiovascular disease claims one Australian life every ten minutes. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as coronary and peripheral artery disease, angina pectoris and stroke, represent the number one cause of death worldwide.
Monash is working with universities in Berlin and Melbourne on treatments and further research into the disease.
Director of the Centre of Vascular Health, Monash University, Professor Harald Schmidt says early diagnosis of CVD is critical to treating it.
"Cardiovascular disease has a very slow onset rate. People will begin to develop it in their 20's and yet the first symptoms won't emerge until they are aged in their 40's, 50's and even 60's and by then, the disease can be in its advanced stages," Professor Schmidt said.
"If we can develop diagnostic equipment to detect the early onset of the disease, such as a simple blood test or imaging techniques, then we can begin to create new drug designs to treat the condition sooner."
Monash University's newly signed collaborative agreement with the Charité University of Medicine, Berlin is aimed at fast-tracking solutions to the diagnosis and treatment of CVD.
Monash recently signed an agreement with RMIT University and its preclinical company RMIT Drug Discovery Technologies Pty Ltd (RDDT). With the support of RDDT chief executive Dr Frances Guyett, the mission is to be the premier provider of preclinical research and testing capability for drug candidates to proceed to clinical trials.
"There is an urgent need to move from treating the symptoms towards prevention, early diagnosis and individualised mechanism-based therapies for CVD. Our collaborations will focus on identifying novel diagnostics and drug therapies that will more rapidly diagnose, evaluate and treat heart disease and stroke," Professor Schmidt said.
Professor Schmidt will discuss further details of the collaboration at the 2nd International Conference on Frontiers in Vascular Medicine, held in Melbourne at Rydges Hotel, Exhibition Street from 5pm Friday 26 October to 5pm, Sunday 28 October.
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