Every 12 minutes, one person in Australia dies from Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).
When postdoctoral researcher and biochemist Dr Tien Nguyen (Hulett Group) first heard this statistic, she knew she had to pursue research in the field.
Her work focuses on understanding the role of the enzyme heparanase in a condition called atherosclerosis – more commonly known as hardening of the arteries.
“Atherosclerosis is the primary underlying cause for CVD, which includes stroke and heart attack,” she said.
“CVD the leading cause of death and disability globally. In Australia, it’s responsible for one in four deaths – that’s 120 deaths a day, or one every 12 minutes. When looking at this number, I realised how important and urgent it was to do research in this field,” she said.
Recently, Dr Nguyen was a key researcher for an investigation led by group leader Professor Mark Hulett that uncovered heparanase as a key driver in the onset and progression of atherosclerosis, promoting inflammation through altering immune cell populations at lesion sites in the walls of the arteries.
Published in Atherosclerosis Journal earlier this year, the research opens new avenues for potential treatments where heparanase plays a central role.
“Our research showed that heparanase inhibitors could be used as a new anti-inflammatory treatment for CVD. Therefore, it is important to further investigate the potential of the enzyme in atherosclerosis,” she said.
Dr Nguyen joined LIMS as a PhD student in 2018, after attaining Bachelor of Engineering at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology in Vietnam, and a Masters of Engineering at Sejong University in South Korea.
When she relocated to La Trobe University, she initially hoped to investigate cancer before making the switch to researching atherosclerosis.
“Heparanase is very well known for its role in cancer. However, the more I read, the more I became fascinated to seek a better understanding of its role in atherosclerosis, and explore potential new treatments for treating it,” she said.
She said that submitting her PhD is her most memorable moment to date at La Trobe University, marking a significant milestone in her academic journey.
“Submitting my PhD represented years of dedication, hard work, perseverance and resilience, especially when my PhD studies coincided with the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and also included maternity leave. Writing a thesis while being primary carer for my young baby was challenging but also incredibly rewarding,” she said.
Dr Nguyen is grateful for the ongoing support from both Professor Hulett and La Trobe University at large to be able to balance her research with parenting responsibilities.
She said this support was important to sustain her passion for pursuing a research career, and reinforces her contribution to her field of research.
“Through my work, I hope to improve our knowledge about disease mechanisms, and contribute to the development of more efficacious treatments for CVD,” she said.
Dr Tien Nguyen is a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Mark Hulett’s group at the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science and the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. Find out more about her research here.
