Unlocking the secrets of Australia’s most common birth defect
Congenital heart defects are a type of heart condition people are born with, and sadly it is one of the leading causes of death of babies in Australia.
Thankfully, due to advances in medical care and treatments, many people with the condition are living longer and healthier lives. That’s why researchers like Dr Sophie Wiszniak are so important in the fight against heart disease.
Dr Sophie Wiszniak leads the Angioscience and Cardiovascular Development Group at the University of South Australia. She received a Vanguard grant from the Heart Foundation to investigate how congenital heart conditions happen during foetal development.
““I spend a lot of time examining heart cells under the microscope. It’s exciting when a gene or protein I’ve been studying shows an interesting pattern in these cells, suggesting it might be involved in heart defects.” says Dr Wiszniak. “There is much more work to do, but these small discoveries help us to fit one more piece into the complex puzzle that is heart development.”
Her work focuses on a specific type of cell in a baby’s developing heart which sends signals to other cells to tell them how to create the pulmonary artery and valve – the crucial path that blood takes from the heart to the lungs to collect oxygen. Dr Wiszniak aims to understand how these signals work, and how they change in the case of congenital heart conditions.
Dr Wiszniak is passionate about finding the causes of congenital heart disease and developing new treatments that could help so many babies and their families in the future.
In addition to helping to keep kid’s hearts healthy, money raised by Jump Rope for Heart contributes to funding research like the work being done by Dr Wiszniak. Sophie remembers participating in the program when she was in school and still believes it has the power to improve so many hearts .
