Human cardiovascular disease and the use of rodent and lagomorph models at the Heart Research Institute

Cardiovascular disease, after malignant neoplasms, is Australia’s second biggest killer (Australian Bureau of Statistics 1995), claiming the lives of approximately one in every two Australians (Australia Bureau of Statistics 1988). Cardiovascular disease appears in many forms, with heart attack, stroke and angina being the most common. The cause of most forms of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis, which results in reduced blood supply to the heart, brain and other parts of the body. It is this disease that is the focus of the research efforts by the Heart Research Institute at Camperdown, New South Wales. Scientists are researching the origins and mechanisms of atherosclerosis using biochemical, cell biological, molecular biological and immunological approaches. Although somewhat restricted by confidentiality agreements, the aim of this paper is to give a brief and general overview of some of the laboratory animal studies being conducted by the various research teams at the institute.