There is a well-known “male disadvantage” in heart disease – men develop and die of it more frequently than women. The cause of this disparity is still not clear and is not explained by many traditional risk factors such as diet. We have shown in a recent study that the male sex Y chromosome is associated with increased risk of heart disease. The current proposed project will utilize molecular and cellular techniques to study non-coding RNA in patients with coronary artery disease, in particular in relation to the immune system. This may improve our understanding of why men are more prone to heart disease and could help to develop sex-specific methods for prevention and treatment of heart disease in the future.

Supervision: Prof Fadi Charchar (Principal), Assoc Prof Stuart Berzins (Associate), Prof Stephen Harrap (University of Melbourne) (Associate)

Download scholarship application form (docx, 242kb)