Jewellers back research on ‘silent killer’ hypertension

Researchers will be able to advance two promising projects targeting hypertension, thanks to a generous donation from the family behind Partridge Jewellers.

Up to one in three New Zealanders live with high blood pressure,  dubbed the "silent killer" for its lack of symptoms, which is a major modifiable risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.

The Partridge family has provided more funding through the Partridge Laureate Scheme to continue work led by Professor Julian Paton, director of Manaaki Manawa, the University of Auckland's Centre for Heart Research, and Dr Amanda Dixon-McIver, Laboratory Director at IGENZ (Innovative Genomics), a New Zealand-owned diagnostic genomics laboratory.

The latest donation comes at a critical stage for two projects aimed at developing new ways to diagnose and treat hypertension, Paton says.

"This support will help us move towards more personalised care and explore an entirely new way of managing hypertension," he says.

One project, led by Dixon-McIver, is developing a genetic test that could help guide treatment decisions for people with hypertension.

Clinicians have limited tools to determine what is driving an individual's high blood pressure, despite there being multiple potential causes and several classes of medication available, Paton says.

"As a result, finding the most effective treatment is not evidence-based and takes time."

The funding will allow researchers to test the genetic approach in newly diagnosed patients for the first time.

"Getting patients onto the most effective treatment earlier could improve outcomes, reduce complications and ultimately save lives," says Dixon-McIver.

The second project will investigate whether a medicine already approved for another condition can be repurposed to treat stress-driven increases in blood pressure. After encouraging pre-clinical results, researchers are preparing for first-in-human trials.

"We know stress can trigger dangerous spikes in blood pressure and current medicines are not designed to target this response," says Paton.

"This approach has the potential to open up a completely new treatment pathway for hypertension with benefits that could extend well beyond New Zealand."

Spanning six generations and more than 160 years, Partridge Jewellers is believed to be New Zealand's oldest family-run business and among the oldest jewellers in Australasia still run by the same family.

"New Zealand has supported our family business for more than 160 years, and we've always wanted to give something back," says Jack Partridge.

"What appealed to us was the opportunity to support work that could have a lasting impact on people's health."

Paton says philanthropic partnerships are increasingly important in translating discoveries into better patient care, and he hopes more companies will support research in a similar way.

"Research like this takes time and sustained investment, but the potential impact is enormous," he says.

"The Partridge family's support is helping us bring promising new treatments closer to reality and could improve and lengthen the lives of thousands of people with hypertension."

Paton also hopes the research will raise awareness of hypertension and encourage people to get their blood pressure checked before the condition leads to a heart attack, stroke or heart arrhythmia.

"Could we finally find a way to control the silent killer?" he says.