In 2019, Dr Dan Donner travelled to Beijing China to present findings of a revolutionary new application for existing ultrasound technology.
Previously, extremely expensive cardiac MRI machines have been required to assess the damage caused to hearts during/following a heart attack. In preclinical cardiology studies, which intend to expand our knowledge of how hearts work and respond to heart attacks, there has never been a technology which can dependably confirm that these preclinical subjects have indeed endured the same type/severity of heart attack.
A healthy, coffee bean-sized heart (L) and failing heart (R) beating ~600bpm imaged with exquisite detail, as if they were a human’s coffee mug-sized heart beating ~60bpm. Acquired by @D_K_Wright x @DrJRMcMullen on the ARA’s new 9.4t MRI @BakerResearchAu https://t.co/czrlwopJIG
— Dr Dan Donner (@DrDanDonner) February 17, 2019
Dr Dan Donner, lead preclinical microsurgeon at the Baker Institute’s Preclinical Cardiology Microsurgery and Imaging Platform, led an investigation into how current high-resolution echocardiography technology may replace the current dependence on cardiac MRI machines to perform such assessments in hearts as small as those in mice, which are the size of a coffee bean.
Standardisation of training is required for all diagnostic studies.
Nice presentation by Dr Donner @BakerResearchAu for preclinical #echofirst measures at #CSANZ18👏 soon in @ajpheartcirc
Pleasing to hear recommend same validation procedure as in my lab pic.twitter.com/J6rKUfohWx— Dr Anastasia S Mihailidou FAHA FCSANZ (@AnastasiaSMihai) August 2, 2018
Following the presentation of his findings to the International Society for Heart Research World Congress in June, Dr Donner was then invited as a guest to present these findings in Adelaide Australia at the National Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) in August 2019. Dr Donner was also asked to present a workshop on his insights into emerging echocardiography technologies including an advanced assessment known as ventricular strain.
Fantastic ISHR session @thecsanz today on improving the quality and translation of discovery science with @DrJRMcMullen @MelEReichelt Kelly Smith @Dr_YKTham @DrDanDonner and Sal Pepe @thecsanz @BakerResearchAu pic.twitter.com/oxXO8Fth50
— Dr Helena Viola (@HelenaViolaUWA) August 8, 2019
Later in the conference at the International Society for Heart Research Annual Gala Dinner, Dr Donner was awarded the 2019 Early Career Investigator Prize.
Congratulations @DrDanDonner on joint ISHR Early Investigator Symposium award @thecsanz @LiviaHool @DrJRMcMullen @BakerResearchAu pic.twitter.com/aS9HbdDHj7
— Dr Helena Viola (@HelenaViolaUWA) August 9, 2019
The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute later congratulated Dr Donner on the achievement and announced the award throughout the building’s internal communication screens and on Twitter.
Congratulations to @DrDanDonner who was awarded the JMCC Early Investigator Prize at the @thecsanz meeting. Dan & colleagues are undertaking important pre-clinical work that will ultimately help prevent & treat people with #heartdisease. #CVDResearchMatters pic.twitter.com/k8jJIXsMMp
— Baker Institute (@BakerResearchAu) August 14, 2019