VHI biobank
The Victorian Heart Institute (VHI) Biobank is a biorepository of imaging, blood and tissue samples from patients within MonashHeart and the Victorian Heart Hospital that is linked to clinical information and longer-term cardiovascular outcomes. The broad aims of this initiative will permit:
- Investigation of biological factors associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes
- Definition of biological factors associated with identifying patients with different therapeutic response to a range of interventions
- Development of novel analytical approaches which seek to integrate information from a range of sources (imaging, clinical demographics, biomaterials) to determine novel algorithms for prediction of risk and potential modifiability
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Australia and is responsible for the greatest amount of health care expenditure. Despite all of the advances in CVD prevention, detection and treatment achieved over the course of the last four decades, there remains a substantial residual risk. This suggests that other factors are contributing to disease pathogenesis and progression.
Considerable opportunities remain to identify novel biological pathways that drive disease, with the potential for development of new biomarkers for diagnosis and risk prediction and new therapies. In addition, the research community are on the verge of a new paradigm in the approach to prevention and treatment of CVD – the transition from widespread application of the same therapies to a more personalised approach. There is considerable ongoing work required to understand the biology underscoring both a greater risk of CVD and to identify those individuals with more modifiable risk that would benefit from use of specific therapeutic interventions.
The VHI have established a cardiovascular biobank to aid with this body of research. It aims to be a valuable resource for cardiovascular research with the broad mission of linking biospecimens and cardiac imaging with clinical information and outcomes, in order to better understand the factors which influence CVD outcomes.
Steering committee
- Professor Stephen Nicholls
- Professor Melissa Southey
- Professor Julian Smith
- Dr Kristen Bubb
- Dr Anthony White
- Dr Nitesh Nerlekar
- Dr Adam Nelson
- Ms Julie Butters
- Ms Cath Milne
