American Heart Association (AHA) Postdoctoral Fellowship Awardee: Hooi Hooi Ng, PhD

Dr. Ng earned her doctoral degree in vascular physiology at The University of Melbourne, Australia in 2017, examining the role of a naturally occurring peptide hormone, relaxin, in diseased blood vessels. The AHA postdoctoral fellowship aims to initiate fellow’s career development in cardiovascular diseases and stroke, prior to embarking on an independent research career. Dr. Ng will commence her fellowship under the mentorship of Joshua D. Hutcheson, PhD and Alexander I. Agoulnik, PhD at the beginning of 2019. Her project aims to investigate the therapeutic action of a small molecule relaxin mimetic for the treatment of diabetes-induced vascular calcification, which build on her previous research experience in vascular biology. Diabetes is a known risk factor for vascular calcification, the accumulation of calcium mineral in the arterial wall. It is now apparent that calcification of the vessels is the most significant predictor of coronary heart disease. To date, there are no approved pharmacotherapies for the treatment of vascular calcification. The outcomes of her project will provide new mechanistic insights into the potential role of a small molecule to limit the progression of this process in diabetes.