Healthy head start for Australian heart research

TEASING out the underlying cause of high blood pressure will be the focus of Dr Jacqueline Phillips during a collaborative research program in North America later this year.

Dr Phillips from the School of Veterinary Biology and Biomedical Science is one of 18 Australian scientists to be awarded collaborative research grants through the Federal Government’s Backing Australia’s Ability Innovation Action Programme.

During her time at Wright State University Ohio, Dr Phillips will continue her work into hypertension, which is currently funded by the National Heart Foundation.

“Despite the fact that high blood pressure (hypertension) affects up to 20 per cent of the adult population in western countries, the underlying cause is unknown in the majority of patients,” said Dr Phillips.

“We are exploring how groups of nerves in the brain, that normally play a crucial role in controlling blood pressure, become over-active and contribute to hypertension.

“Our aim is to identify new therapeutic targets and genetic markers that will aid in the earlier diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of hypertension.”

Dr Phillips is working with two rat models (one with genetic hypertension and one with renal problems) and examining the activity of these nerves and the genes they express.

At Wright State University, Dr Phillips will aim to consolidate long term collaborations with international researchers through her research.