01 July 2026
A new molecular test to better detect patients at high-risk of heart disease will be trialled in 2000 people across 200 GP practices nationally thanks to a $3 million Medical Research Future Fund grant.
This targeted approach, led by the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and La Trobe University, aims to support improved clinical decision-making and could prevent thousands of heart attacks through earlier risk detection.
Lead researcher, Professor Peter Meikle says current heart risk assessment tools miss many people who will develop heart disease. “Our new molecular test combines lipidomic profiling (examining fats in the blood) with genetic analysis to better identify high-risk patients,” he says.
The new test combines lipidomic risk scoring with polygenic risk scoring to produce a comprehensive molecular risk stratification of patients currently classified as intermediate-risk, highlighting those who might require aggressive preventive treatment.
“Current prevention strategies are constrained, as up to 65% of heart events strike individuals classified as low or intermediate risk — representing one of the largest missed opportunities in contemporary medicine,” Professor Meikle says.
He says traditional approaches systematically fail to detect the critical early stages of heart disease when intervention delivers maximum therapeutic benefit — before irreversible plaque progression in the arteries establishes itself, leading to heart attack or other forms of disease.
“Heart disease remains the world’s biggest killer and with more than 42,000 deaths in Australia each year, we can and should do better.”
The Federal Government funding now allows researchers to take their validated molecular CVD risk platform (L.G.CVDRisk), developed in the laboratory, into clinical practice through implementation across primary care networks, specialist clinics, and remote Indigenous communities with the help of our partners including the Heart Foundation.
“For those working on the frontline in GP clinics we hope it will provide a more precise tool to assist with clinical decision making to prevent disease and save lives,” he says.
“We are shifting Australian cardiovascular medicine from reactive treatment to predictive precision prevention,” says Professor Meikle, who also heads the Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Research, Translation, and Implementation at La Trobe University.
La Trobe University Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation Professor Chris Pakes congratulates Professor Meikle on his success.
“Heart disease is one of the major killers in Australia and around the world, this research will undoubtedly help many people identify risk factors early and could save lives,” Professor Pakes says.
“Congratulations to Peter and his team, including the team at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, on this significant achievement.”
