Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and a team of internationally renowned Australian researchers and institutions are pushing to establish the Australian Stroke & Heart Research Accelerator. This is currently being backed by Telstra Health.

According to Victor Chang’s executive director professor Jason Kovacic, “Our researchers will benefit from ASHRAs collaborative and diverse network, and the training and education programs will build a translation and commercialisation focus with our people, bringing our discoveries to clinics and communities.”

“By working together, Australia’s leading stroke and heart researchers will be able to embark on projects that will transform our understanding and treatment of cardiovascular disease and ensure the discoveries made in our laboratories will not only deliver on their promise but will also reach patients sooner.”

Digital solutions to help patients and Gps as well as innovative medical devices that will improve and save lives are included in the project. In addition to this, collaborations with the industry that will improve drug safety or lead to new treatments are also encompassed in the project.

In this case, the Victor Chang team partnered with Telstra Health to achieve a large-scale rollout of the work as a commercially viable solution. The Victor Chang team will then use the Telstra DataHub as the technology platform that will support the cloud-based pipeline. 

According to Telstra Health CTO Russel Duncan, “It’s great to be involved in supporting [Victor Chang] in bringing together research, technology and health care, consistent with Telstra Health’s purpose of improving lives through digitally-enabled care for our community.”

Apart from Telstra Health, another key partner in the project is the Nanion Technologies company. This company is responsible for building the screening platform central to the proposed solution. Meanwhile, DataHub, a collaboration between Telstra and Microsoft, has been designed to facilitate complex data sharing and permission scenarios.

Australia's first collaborative cardiovascular research accelerator had a huge funding boost. Federal Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, announced funding that includes a $10 million commitment over four years. "Both national research centres are uniquely placed to foster collaborations across academia, industry, and community and consumer groups, enabling considerable advances towards tangible products and solutions for sustainable health and economic benefits," he said.

According to Professor Stephen Nicholls, Director of Monash University’s Victorian Heart Institute and leader of the Monash ASHRA Node, the investment completely shifts the paradigm. “It is the most progressive, disruptive approach and investment in cardiovascular innovation and acceleration the country has ever seen,” Professor Nicholls said.