Dr Gerald Maarman, Hatter Institute student supervised by Prof Sandrine Lecour and Prof Karen Sliwa,was awarded his PhD in December 2014 for his project entitled Cardioprotection in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): A novel role of the SAFE pathway in a model of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Prof. A. Mebazaa, Prof. Etienne Gayat, Dr. Jane-Lise Samuel and colleagues from University Diderot, Inserm, Paris, France visited the Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa, where the first of 2 planned collaborative workshops took place in February 2015.They are part of a larger collaboration and a formal Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the University of Cape Town and the University Diderot, Inserm, Paris, France.  The research focus of this collaboration is to explore the role of biomarkers for the diagnosis and risk stratification in women presenting with cardiac disease in pregnancy. Prof Mebazaa, Dr Jane-Lise Samuel and Prof Etienne Gayat delivered stimulating lectures on Biomarkers in Heart Failure/Cardiovascular Disease and the GREAT Network.

However, Prof.Mebazaa and Dr. Dike Ojii (NIH Millenium Postdoctoral Fellow) were almost blown away by the strong Cape winds

Visit of Sir Maurice Hatter

We were delighted to have one of our main supporters, Sir Maurice Hatter, visit our Institute where he spent the morning interacting with staff and students.

Lancet – Karen Sliwa profile article

Dr Mzwandile Mbele

Dr Gaurang Deshpande

Gaurang Deshpande was awarded his PhD in June 2014.  His project focused on testing metabolic and pharmacological agents for recovery following de novo acute heart failure in an isolated rat heart model. He is currently pursuing a Postdoctoral Fellowship with Prof Bongani Mayosi focusing on the role of FAM111B in fibrosis.

Mzwandile Mbele was awarded his PhD in June 2014.  His project focused on the molecular genetics of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular and Dilated cardiomyopathy in South Africans. He is currently pursuing  a Postdoctoral Fellowship with Prof Bongani Mayosi focusing on the prevalence and functional effects of PARVA and HMGXB3 gene mutations in South African patients with cardiomyopathy.

The Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa hosted the ANNUAL B-A-HEF STUDY MEETING on the 26th & 27th May 2014. Invited Study Investigators and Sponsors from across Africa and the USA attended.

The Hatter Institute hosted the annual B-A-HEF Meeting on the 26^{TH &} 27^th MAY 2014. The two days were spent giving feedback on the study statistics, goals of the study including the challenges researchers face doing research in Africa. Recruitment has been a particular challenge due to the strict eligibility criteria, thus a lot of time was invested into brain storming different methods to approach this problem.

The way forward was discussed with the investigators and help was offered in various ways to help the investigators that came from six other countries in Africa.

During the above two days further capacity building was discussed with the African network partners with regards to an imminent German grant from the ‘Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung’ that is on offer to interested investigators.

Ms Ebru Ertekin, a fourth year medical student at Erasmus Medical University, Rotterdam) spent several weeks completing a research elective at the Hatter Institute.  During her stay she analysed data for the Registry on Pregnancy and Cardiac Disease (ROPAC) programme.  ROPAC is an ongoing registry of the European Society of Cardiology, with centres from several European countries, USA, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Japan participating in the registry.

Project overview

The primary objective of Zulfah’s project is to determine whether or not health education delivered through touchscreen technology and led by a research nurse has the potential to promote a decrease in excessive weight-gain in African pregnant mothers throughout their pregnancy. Further assessments would include neonatal health and the potential cost saving ability of the intervention from a health sector and community-wide perspective.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

Zulfah visited the CRE unit in Melbourne between the period of 20 July 2013 to 3 August 2013 and was privileged to visit the the Baker IDI offices in Alice Springs, Central Australia as well during her stay.

During my stay I was exposed to various roles undertaken by the preventative health unit at the Baker IDI. The main knowledge skills that I was exposed to were trial study design, data management and the process of writing a systematic review, all of which will play a substantial role in my PhD project.