Q&A with Dr Renjing Liu

Decoding menopause-driven aortic aneurysms: unveiling mechanisms to predict and prevent rupture

What are you currently researching?

Aortic aneurysms are life-threatening conditions that can disproportionately affect older women. During and after menopause, aneurysms can grow faster, rupture at smaller sizes and lead to poorer outcomes after surgery.

My research aims to understand why this happens. In particular, I am studying how the hormonal changes linked with menopause affect cells in the walls of blood vessels, which help keep the blood vessels strong and stable.

Using a new research model that closely reflects changes in blood vessels around and after menopause, my team is looking for the biological pathways that cause these cells to change from a protective state to one that may contribute to aneurysm growth and rupture.

What difference will your research make to people’s cardiovascular health in Australia?

This research addresses an important gap in women’s cardiovascular health. Aortic aneurysms are often not detected until they are advanced, and women can experience faster growth, rupture at smaller sizes and poorer outcomes than men.

By understanding why this risk increases around and after menopause, we hope to help identify women at higher risk earlier. This could support better monitoring, prevention and treatment decisions.

In the longer term, the findings could help guide new therapies designed specifically for women, reducing aneurysm-related illness, deaths and healthcare costs in Australia and around the world.

What motivated you to do your research?

I have always worked closely with clinicians, and my motivation comes from wanting to answer questions they cannot yet fully explain. I also want to develop better tools that help us understand cardiovascular disease in new ways.

Over time, the gender gap in cardiovascular research has become very clear to me. We still do not have enough research models that reflect the specific risks women face, including changes that happen around menopause.

There is also a personal motivation behind this work. By 2030, more than 1.3 billion women will be living through menopause, many with increased cardiovascular risk. We all know someone who will be affected by this stage of life. I want my research to help improve their health, prevent suffering and support longer, healthier lives.

Are there any achievements or discoveries from the past year you can share with us?

Our laboratory has recently published two important studies that build our understanding of blood vessel disease.

One study looked at intimal hyperplasia, a process where the inner layer of a blood vessel becomes thicker and can contribute to atherosclerosis, a hardening of your arteries. Another study explored vascular calcification, where calcium builds up in blood vessels and makes them stiffer.

Together, these studies have strengthened our understanding of cells in blood vessel walls and how changes in their behaviour can contribute to cardiovascular disease.

What role has Heart Foundation funding had in your career journey?

Heart Foundation funding has played a major role in my research career. A previous Heart Foundation Level 2 Fellowship was the first major grant I received after becoming an independent researcher and establishing my own laboratory.

That support helped me build my research program, generate early data and create a strong foundation for future projects. It also helped me secure two NHMRC Project Grants the following year.

This Future Leader Fellowship will be just as important. It gives me the stability and support to pursue ambitious research questions, grow my program and mentor the next generation of cardiovascular researchers.

Do you have a message for Heart Foundation supporters?

My deepest gratitude to the Heart Foundation and its generous supporters. At a time when research funding is increasingly competitive, your support is a vital lifeline, especially for mid-career researchers.

The Future Leader Fellowship provides the stability needed to pursue bold research that could lead to new ways to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.

Your support directly fuels my laboratory’s work to turn important discoveries into new treatment strategies, offering hope for people affected by heart disease. Thank you for believing in our work and for being essential partners in the fight against heart disease.