Joint Centenary Institute and (HRI) Cardiovascular Seminar Tuesday Seminar Series

Tuesday 4 June 2019, from 12.00pm to 1.00pm, followed by a networking lunch Level 6 Lecture Theatre, Centenary Institute

‘Fishing for the genetic causes of cardiomyopathy: how zebrafi sh help us understand human inherited heart disease’ Dr Inken Martin Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute

Bio: Abstract: Dr Inken Martin (published Huttner) is a Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common German-trained MD/PhD with clinical and research heart muscle disorder caused in around 25% of training from the Universities of Berkeley, USA, cases by truncating mutations in the titin gene. We Freiburg & Heidelberg, Germany, and . She have established several zebrafi sh models of titin is a senior postdoctoral researcher in the Molecular truncation at different positions in the protein and Cardiology Division at the Victor Chang Cardiac show that not all cause DCM. Besides position Research Institute, and holds a Conjoint Senior effects, we show that environmental stressors, Lecturer appointment at the St Vincent’s Clinical such as volume overload, alcohol, drugs and School, UNSW. Within the laboratory of Prof Diane obesity affect disease severity. We are currently Fatkin, she has established a unique zebrafi sh cardiac exploring the use of zebrafi sh in cardiovascular research program that dedicated to modelling human functional genomics to evaluate the effects of adult inherited heart disease. In 2017, Inken won the suspected pathogenic human gene variants on Ralph Reader Basic Science Prize awarded by the heart function. This will inform the analysis of whole Cardiac Society of and New Zealand. She is genome sequencing data in patients with DCM and mother to three young daughters. hopefully increase the yield of genetic testing.

Seminar Convenors: Dr Richard Bagnall (CI), Dr Melissa Farnham (HRI)