Message from the heart: A novel approach to alter the course of cardiovascular disease

Associate Professor Joshua Lewis, Edith Cowan University

2023 Future Leader Fellowship - Level 3

Years funded: 2024 - 2027

The problem with blood vessel disease is that it silently progresses over many years and your first symptom, a heart attack or stroke can be your last. One of the first sites where advanced blood vessel disease (calcification) can occur is in the abdominal aorta, the major blood vessel that carries blood from your heart to your abdominal organs and legs. My team and I have developed a safe and rapid tool using widely-available bone density machines to identify this disease. My research program is now using this ground-breaking tool to understand why and how blood disease develops and progresses gaining new and clinically important information on how to prevent or treat advanced blood vessel disease. We will also undertake groundbreaking studies providing these results with educational resources to people and their healthcare teams to motivate heart-healthy, risk-reducing behaviour to save lives and protect people's quality of life.