Cash helps put heart into study

Sally Rutherford

Sally Rutherford's study of the heart is something of a labour of love - and she hopes it can also combat one of the leading causes of death.

The University of Auckland student has scooped one of the country's top research scholarship awards.

It will enable her to spend three years developing the first comprehensive computer model to measure electrical activity in the border zone between healthy heart tissue and tissue scarred by previous cardiac arrests.

Abnormal activity - or arrhythmia - can develop in this zone in heart patients, and cause sudden death. Ms Rutherford's work aims to improve understanding and management of the condition.

"It is surprising how little is known about the biophysical processes that lead to severe rhythm disturbance," said Ms Rutherford.

"This work will involve looking at coronary vessels and how to prevent the electrical activity which causes what we know as a heart attack."

Ms Rutherford said she had always been interested in cardiac physiology and the award would allow her to concentrate on her work.

She is one of 40 PhD students nationwide, and nine at Auckland, to be awarded a Top Achiever Doctoral Scholarship.

At Auckland, they will receive a combined total of $780,000 to do research over the next three years.

Auckland vice-chancellor Stuart McCutcheon said competition among the country's keenest young minds for the scholarships was strong. They carried a lot of prestige.

"The scholarships will support research that has the potential to make a significant contribution to the generation of new knowledge internationally, and to directly benefit New Zealand," he said.

Other scholarship winners, including three from Auckland University of Technology, will investigate a range of issues such as conservation of native birds, analysis of wind turbines, physical activity in preschoolers and linguistics to better enable lecturers to communicate with international students.

The awards were announced on Tuesday at the University of Auckland by Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen and Education Minister Trevor Mallard.

The 40 projects will receive more than $4.2 million, which will ensure PhD students have the support to undertake research to "underpin our ongoing social and economic development", Mr Mallard said.

Dr Cullen said: "As a country New Zealand needs top researchers - they are an important part of our work in growing the economy and lifting the level of innovation, and they also help us with our understanding of social needs."