Aussie researchers secure funding for world-first cardioprotective drug

Medical & Science: The Australian government is investing nearly $18 million from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) into a research project that aims to protect the heart during a heart attack using a drug discovered by local researchers.

This world-first trial will test the efficacy of Hi1a, a peptide found in the venom of the K’gari funnel-web spider, to prevent heart damage both during a heart attack and in donor heart procurement.

The four-year trial, led by University of Queensland’s Professor Glenn King, marks a major step toward the development of the world’s first cardioprotective drug.

“This investment will fast-track development of the world’s first cardioprotective drug, which was inspired by a molecule discovered in the venom of an Australian funnel-web spider,” said Professor King.

“This drug has the potential to not only save thousands of lives each year, but also to drastically improve the quality of life for heart attack survivors by minimising the injury to their heart.”

Associate Professor Nathan Palpant, who led preclinical studies on Hi1a in cardiac disease models, highlighted the significant impact this drug could have in treating heart attacks.

“Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia,” Dr Palpant noted. “Almost 60,000 Australians are hospitalised with a heart attack every year, and 7,000 will not survive. Of those that do survive, a quarter will develop debilitating heart failure within one year of their attack.”

The project will involve Brisbane-based biotech company Infensa Bioscience, where Professor King serves as Chief Scientific Officer and Dr Palpant as Head of Biology. The team aims to bring the new treatment to market within the next decade.

“A transplant is the only cure for heart failure, but there’s a severe worldwide shortage of donor hearts, partly due to the damage that occurs during the retrieval process,” said Dr Palpant. “Despite the huge socioeconomic burden of heart attack and heart failure, there is not a single drug to limit the loss of heart cells during an attack or to protect donor hearts – our team hopes to change this.”

In addition to researchers from UQ, the project will collaborate with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, the Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, and clinicians at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, and The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler stated, “This research is a world-first and could only have come from our world-class Australian researchers. Based on a molecule in the venom of an Australian funnel-web spider, this could save thousands of lives.

“Heart attacks and cardiovascular disease are our biggest killers. These world-first trials will give hope to thousands of Australians who suffer from a heart attack and heart failure.”

In Australia alone, more than 55,000 people experience a heart attack each year, with around 7,000 fatalities. Heart attacks are also the leading cause of heart failure, significantly affecting survival rates and quality of life.

The $17.86 million in funding comes from the MRFF’s Frontier Health and Medical Research (Frontiers) grant, which supports ‘moonshots’ – ambitious, exploratory and groundbreaking research aimed at tackling some of the most challenging medical issues of our time.

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