Blood Pressure
In collaboration with the Department of Physiology, the Victorian Family Heart Study aims to define the genetic basis of risk for common heart disease. Important novel analyses of the family patterns of blood pressure and body weight have been conducted, finding evidence of genes for both blood pressure and body weight. The next step is to include DNA tests in these analyses in an attempt to identify the genes responsible. The long-term goal is to define and understand genetically determined mechanisms that predispose to heart disease, so that new and effective means of prevention and treatment can be developed.