Heart disease kills more Australians than any other disease or illness
With more than 200 scientists and 24 laboratories across the country, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute is Australia’s home of heart research.
Delivering breakthroughs from our labs to hospital beds, our scientists are advancing the prevention and treatment of heart disease that is helping patients not just here but around the world. Patients like heart transplant survivor Inayah, pictured here visiting our Sydney headquarters to meet the researchers committed to helping people like her.
Your donation turns our discoveries into lifesaving cures for Australia’s biggest killer - heart disease.
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What does it take to keep a heart beating?
It takes a dedicated team of scientists working around the clock and never giving up and as you’ll see from our video, 30 years of leading the fight against heart disease.
Heart disease remains Australia's biggest killer
One in five Australians are affected by heart disease
18 Australians suffer a fatal heart attack every day
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Australia
Lifesaving heart research urgently needs more funding
Heart disease might be the country’s biggest killer, but it’s harder than ever to secure funding for lifesaving medical research.
Our funding system is in crisis, only 10.5% of applications to the government’s key grants program are successful, which means your help is needed more than ever to ensure we can continue to deliver new treatments and cures.
Thanks to the support of people like you, we have already delivered breakthrough after breakthrough, and our scientists won’t stop now. Together we can and will beat heart disease – one discovery at a time.
Heart heroes across Australia need our help
Inayah - Little heart warrior
Inayah was born with congenital heart disease (CHD) - a condition which tragically takes the lives of 260,000 children globally each year. This little heart warrior has bravely fought through five open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant to be here today.
Today, her biggest dream is to be a heart doctor with her own hospital where she will take care of kids just like her.
You can help spare families the pain of CHD. Your gift will help us take our research out of the labs and into the hospital rooms.
Joel - Heart transplant recipient
Aged just 17 Joel’s life changed overnight when he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in children. Two years later, he was on the waitlist for a heart transplant.
Joel was lucky to receive his new heart and he’s now back to surfing and a career in photography. But there are simply not enough donor hearts to meet the overwhelming need.
With your support, our researchers can ensure more donor hearts are available and help save more lives like Joel's.
Lisa - Lifelong heart patient
Lisa was born with congenital heart disease (CHD) and underwent open-heart surgery as a child to fix her damaged heart, only to suffer from a faulty heart valve many years later.
Thankfully a heart check identified the problem, and Lisa went through another round of surgery to save her life. For people like Lisa, dealing with CHD is an ongoing and sometimes isolating experience.
Our researchers are striving to prevent as many cases of CHD as possible, so heart disease doesn't follow people like Lisa well into their adult life.
Chris - Heart attack survivor
Chris was hit out of the blue by a heart attack while surfing on his 60th birthday. He thought he was fit and healthy and had no symptoms of pending heart trouble.
Recovering in hospital, Chris was diagnosed with atherosclerosis, a disease that affects the blood vessels and is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ because there are often no apparent symptoms.
Here at the Institute, we're getting to the core of what causes atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Pinpointing which genes play the greatest role, so we can develop better ways to prevent and treat heart disease.
With research, we can find cures
Saving Babies Lives
Boosting Heart Transplants
This could be a game-changer for Australians in desperate need of a transplant.
Your donation can make it a reality.
Preventing Heart Attacks
Tragically, 18 Australians suffer a fatal heart attack every day.
Thanks to the support of our amazing community, our researchers have been able to identify the top 162 genes responsible for heart attacks.
This discovery could lead to a whole new field of targeted therapies for those at risk, and prevent fatal heart attacks before they strike.
Your gift could help protect the hearts you love.
30 years of impact
With the support of people like you, we've been at the heart of progress for 30 years.
Through all the years and all the advancements in heart research the goals of the Institute remain the same: to progress research to beat Australia’s biggest killer, improve patient care and, most importantly of all, to save lives.
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Will you support the next lifesaving breakthrough, and join the fight against heart disease?
Caroline Sullivan
Caroline Sullivan
Ram Ram
Sanchita Dayal
Lucy Barnard
Good luck❤️❤️❤️
Anonymous
As a lucky survivor of a heart attack, I am grateful for all the medical expertise that helped me to survive and the ongoing research needed to advance further treatments. Thank you.
Myra Shanaya
Anonymous
Hope it helps
Steven Grealy
Eddie Kildea
Every possible good wish
