Professor Rebecca Ritchie at Parkville campus.
The Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) is sharing in a pool of $14.5 million in Heart Foundation grants to support vital new research aimed at improving cardiovascular health.
Professor Rebecca Ritchie, the theme leader of Drug Discovery Biology at MIPS, will lead a project to examine how menopause alters the cardiac benefits of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro in women above a healthy weight.
Professor Ritchie said the research places women squarely at the centre of medical discovery by treating menopause as a critical biological factor in treatment success.
“Menopause brings with it hormonal changes that influence heart disease progression and how well these treatments work, so we need direct evidence to ensure therapies work effectively for women at every stage of life,” Professor Ritchie said.
Tirzepatide lowers overall cardiovascular risk, but existing trials have not examined its direct impact on heart function and have not tested whether menopause alters how the heart responds.
The research will directly address that gap by measuring how tirzepatide influences heart contraction, relaxation and physical exertion capacity in post-menopausal conditions.
The findings will guide future clinical trials and refine heart failure treatments, helping women live longer, healthier and more active lives.
Joining Professor Ritchie on the research team are Monash University’s Dr Miles De Blasio, Associate Professor Mary Kavurma from the Heart Research Institute, Associate Professor Neale Cohen from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, and Dr Alicia Jones from Monash Health.
