Too much iron in the heart

On Monday 23rd October Attadale Rotary President Colin McCulloch welcomed Guest Speakers Dr Alice Domenichini and Fabienne Vonarburg as well as Associate Professor Debbie Trinder who were all respresenting the Spinnaker Health Foundation.  The annual Rotary Charity Golf Day run by the Attadale and Fremantle Clubs supports two major beneficiaries, Motor Neurone Disease Association and Spinnaker Health Research Foundation.

The Chairman for the evening Rodney Rate introduced Fabienne who showed a video of the work being done through the Foundation. She then explained that the Spinnaker Health Research Foundation proudly supports innovative health and medical research across the whole of the Perth south metropolitan region, including Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals and in collaboration with universities and research institutions in WA. Spinnaker aims to improve the health and wellbeing of our community through research.

Dr Alice Domenichini is a recipient of one of our grants and is joined by Assoc Professor Debbie Trinder. She is studying the effect of too much iron in the heart. Iron has brought significant changes to life for all, over the years. It is an essential nutrient for all organisms. However, in conditions where there is an excess of iron, such as hereditary haemochromatosis, it can have detrimental consequences as more iron is absorbed from the diet and deposited in vital organs such as the liver and heart, inducing progressive tissue damage. Hereditary haemochromatosis and secondary iron-overload conditions, like thalassaemia, are some of the most commonly inherited disorders world-wide, especially in populations with European ancestry. The mechanism of iron-induced heart damage in iron overload diseases, especially hereditary haemochromatosis is still largely unknown. 

The research project will examine in detail the effects of too much iron in the heart in a laboratory model of human hereditary haemochromatosis. The outcomes from this study will provide new insights into the role of iron in iron overload disorders.

Pictured from Spinnaker Health Research Foundation are Associate Professor Debbie Trinder, Fabienne Vonarburg and Dr Alice Domenichini with Attadale Rotarian and Chairman Rodney Rate and the President of the Attadale Rotary Club Colin McCulloch.