Toan Pham from the Discipline of Nutrition (jointly affiliation with Auckland Bioengineering Institute), has been awarded a Heart Foundation Research Fellowship entitled, ‘Targeting the restoration of energy supply demand pathway to rescue Type 2 diabetic heart failure’ for the amount of $255,000. This will be for a period of 3 years and will carry a stipend of $85,000 per year.
New Zealand has long been suffering a diabetic epidemic, where heart failure remains the leading cause of death. For patients with Type 2 diabetes, their hearts progressively enlarge abnormally, resulting in decreased ability to pump blood efficiently. Diabetic patients often experience tiredness, morbidity and incapacitation. He hypothesises that the diabetic heart suffers an impairment of energy supply by the mitochondria and this leads to weakened pumping ability and compromised contractile efficiency of heart muscle. He will investigate whether improving mitochondrial function can enhance the overall energetic performance of the diabetic heart.
Toan will test a novel drug targeting the capacity of mitochondria to supply energy. Experiments will be conducted using a suite of novel techniques, many requiring the use of their custom‑built device to measure the energy output and efficiency of heart tissue. This project ultimately aims to uncover the therapeutic benefit of directly targeting the energy supply chain of the heart. It thus holds the potential to improve the quality of life of patients suffering Type 2 diabetes.
Congratulations Toan!