Yen Chin Koay

The global community confronts a formidable challenge as heart failure emerges as a significant health concern worldwide. The demographics of heart failure have experienced a dramatic shift due to an aging population and the evolution of risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and sedentary lifestyles. These risk factors introduce metabolic, energetic, and inflammatory mediators that adversely affect the heart. As a chemist and biologist dual-trained in animal models of heart failure, cardiac energetics, mitochondrial function, and dynamic metabolism, my unique expertise equips me to address the crucial questions in this field. Positioned at the crossroads of world-class resources and facilities—including Heart Failure Clinics, Heart Failure Biopsy Programs, the world's largest Heart Bank, Ex-vivo Beating Heart models, Primary Cardiac Myocytes, and Targeted Fluxomic and Enzymatic techniques—I am distinctively positioned to foster progress in this area. Collaborating with Prof. John O'Sullivan and A/Prof. Sean Lal, our partnership aims to bridge the divide between fundamental research and clinical application. By leveraging the unique translational pathway available at the University of Sydney, together we aim to expedite the transition of our foundational scientific discoveries into clinical applications.