Media releases

Professor Fadi Charchar, a senior researcher at Federation University Australia, will receive funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for a major research project on ‘Y chromosome mechanisms in coronary artery disease’.

Collaborators in the project are from the University of Melbourne, Leicester, Manchester UK and MIT, USA. The project will be funded over three years for a total of $369,076.

“The Y chromosome determines sex in men and until recently was not thought to contribute to heart disease,” Professor Charchar said.

“We previously found a specific type of Y chromosome that does contribute to heart disease.”

The current project plans to find the exact gene and mechanism in the search for a therapeutic target.

“Professor Charchar is an international leader in cardiac, blood pressure and hypertension research,” Professor Leigh Sullivan, the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), said.

“Under Professor Charchar’s leadership, this major research project will greatly improve our understanding of heart disease and progress our search for viable therapies for this major disease.”