06 January 2026
Institute news
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute scientists have secured more than $5 million in National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grants to pursue bold ideas that could transform how we prevent and treat cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Our four successful groundbreaking research projects tackle some of the most pressing health challenges facing Australians today. They will investigate everything from plastic pollution's impact on heart health to innovative digital platforms connecting people to life-changing support.
New hope after heart attack
Professor Judy de Haan received $1.4 million to help improve the lives of people with diabetes after a heart attack. Currently, there are no drugs specifically designed to prevent heart disease and improve heart function in this vulnerable group.
Our researchers will investigate targeting an inflammatory protein to improve outcomes post-heart attack, offering new hope for better recovery and quality of life.
Could plastics harm your heart?
Can microplastics and nanoplastics build up in our bodies and contribute to heart disease? It's a question that will be explored by Baker Institute scientist Dr Patrick Lelliott, thanks to a $1.2 million grant.
Dr Lelliott will investigate how environmental exposure to plastics may contribute to vascular disease and how this risk can be better understood and reduced. He will develop new tools to detect plastics in plaques in human arteries and use models to study how these plastics might damage blood vessels and trigger harmful immune responses.
"The goal is to understand whether different types of plastics make heart disease worse and how," Dr Lelliott says. "This will help inform public health advice and determine the health risks of plastic pollution."
Stopping diabetic vascular damage
Dr Jun Okabe and colleagues will lead a project to develop an innovative treatment for irreversible diabetic vascular disease. The team aims to stop long-term blood vessel damage in people with diabetes by targeting a key enzyme called Set7.
This enzyme is activated by high blood sugar and causes lasting changes in blood vessels, even after sugar levels are controlled. Blocking Set7 may prevent or reverse kidney and heart disease in people with diabetes.
Connecting communities to health support
Professor Brian Oldenburg received $2.2 million to develop Connect4Health, an innovative, digitally enabled social prescribing platform tailored to support people with multiple conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and hypertension.
The platform will help people with long-term health conditions — particularly those from culturally diverse and underserved communities — by connecting them to services like walking groups, social clubs and counselling.
Institute Director, Professor John Greenwood, says, "Our funded rate of 14.8% for Ideas Grants was well above the national average rate of 8.1% — a testament to the bold thinking and rigorous science that defines us.
“We're reshaping what's possible in cardiovascular and diabetes care. Our work challenges the status quo — turning breakthrough science into lifesaving outcomes for the people who need it most," he says. “We’ve been at the cutting edge of discovery, delivering better health since 1926.”
NHMRC invested almost $280 million to support 190 innovative projects.
Find out more from the NHMRC Ideas Grants page.
