Dear Colleagues and Community Members,
Delighted to update you once again on some new developments in the world of hypertension! Exciting times for discovery research, but also for clinical trials, new treatments and guidelines updates. Read about new research on nighttime blood pressure, microbiota and heart failure, cost saving with single pill combination therapy, sex differences in blood pressure responses, and for health professionals a podcast on primary aldosteronism.
We’re welcoming our new ECR committee members, and spotlight the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University’s Victorian Heart Institute. Last but not least – links to several key upcoming events – our Winter School (free online, on 1 August!), ASCEPT and Hypertension Australia Joint Scientific Meeting, and the Hypertension Taskforce’s Hypertension Summit (all happening in December in Adelaide). Happy reading!
Feel free to share our newsletter to colleagues far and wide.
Very best wishes,
Alta Schutte
Chair, Communications Committee
Hypertension Australia
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The European Society of Hypertension’s position paper explores the mechanisms, measurement techniques, and clinical significance of nocturnal blood pressure (BP), emphasising its role in cardiovascular risk assessment. The paper advocates for standardised nighttime BP monitoring to enhance hypertension management and improve patient outcomes.
Disruptions in gut microbiota and their metabolites are increasingly recognised as contributors to heart failure. This research highlights the gut–heart axis as a promising target for future therapies. Notably, members of our July 2025 Lab Spotlight team are among the authors of this study.
A new study from The George Institute found that single pill combinations for hypertension treatment consistently cost less than separate medications in Australia, with patients saving an average of 30%. The cost savings are primarily due to reduced dispensing fees, benefiting both patients and government healthcare systems.
This study examined sex differences in response to initial blood pressure treatment using ultra-low dose combination therapy versus monotherapy. It found that both women and men experienced greater blood pressure reductions with combination therapy, with no significant differences in treatment effect, adverse events, or adherence between sexes.
In Part 6 of the Tackling Hypertension Head-On Miniseries – Prof Alta Schutte and Dr Jun Yang unpack primary aldosteronism – a condition that affects up to 1 in 10 patients with hypertension and yet is rarely screened for in general practice.
A study on sleep duration and hypertension risk found that shorter sleep was independently associated with a higher incidence of hypertension, especially among younger adults. These findings support the clinical importance of assessing sleep habits as part of cardiovascular risk evaluation and blood pressure management.
You can find a range of blood pressure–friendly recipes right here, designed to support heart health with lower sodium, increased potassium, and plenty of fresh, nutrient-rich ingredients.
Check out these great resources:
Hypertension Australia and the National Hypertension Taskforce have just published an important new position statement on Automated Office Blood Pressure (AOBP) Measurement, an exciting initiative led by Professor James Sharman, Professor Alta Schutte and Professor Markus Schlaich.
AOBP is now recommended as the standard of care for hypertension detection, diagnosis and management in Australia. If widely adopted, it will significantly contribute to achieving the National Hypertension Taskforce goal of at least 70% hypertension control by 2030.
This position statement has been endorsed by Hypertension Australia, Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, Endocrine Society of Australia, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Kidney Health Australia and Stroke Foundation.
AOBP is the use of validated electronic devices with automated upper arm cuffs that are programmed to take multiple blood pressure readings at predetermined intervals, beginning after an initial rest period.
Why does this matter? The Taskforce’s Roadmap identified an urgent need for simple, practical blood pressure measurement protocols that can be implemented consistently across all settings. This new position statement directly addresses this priority, providing much-needed guidance for standardised BP measurement practices.
Stay tuned for the full release of this important clinical guidance.
Don’t miss the additional opportunity to attend the National Hypertension Summit 2025 hosted by the National Hypertension Taskforce on Tuesday 9 December in Adelaide at the same venue as the ASCEPT and Hypertension Australia 2025 Joint Scientific Meeting!
The Taskforce will be highlighting hypertension research and innovation in Australia and discussing bridging the gap between policy and practice in team-based care in an effort to increase current control rates in Australia to 70% by 2030.
Rikeish Muralitheran is a research fellow in the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University and has been a member of Hypertension Australia since 2019. Rikesh’s research focuses on uncovering novel approaches to prevent, detect, and manage high blood pressure, particularly through the gut microbiome.
Garry Jennings is a senior academic and Chief Medical Advisor at the Heart Foundation, with honorary roles at Sydney and Monash Universities and long-standing affiliations in cardiovascular health. He has been a member of Hypertension Australia since its inception in 1979.
Following their attendance at the European Society of Hypertension Annual Meeting in Milan, Hypertension Australia members Katie Harris and Katrina Kissock have shared some of their key takeaways and personal highlights from the event.
The IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society recently held a symposium on Recent Advances in Cuffless Blood Pressure. The first session covered the state-of-the-art in technology development, whilst the second session focused on validation. Hypertension Australia members Prof Alberto Avolio, A/Prof Jonathan Mynard and Prof Alta Schutte were amongst the speakers and facilitators, with clinical and industry perspectives including Prof George Stergiou, Tiago Almeida (Aktiia), Ming-Zher Poh (Google) and Aditya Rajagopal (Caltech).
We would like to send a very warm welcome to four new members of the ECR Committee for Hypertension Australia. We are excited to have you on board and look forward to working with you to bring new ideas to life.
Dr Sonali Shah is a Consultant Endocrinologist at Monash Health (2018-) and a final-year PhD candidate at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Victoria. Their research aims to understand the prevalence, pathophysiology, and optimal management of low-renin hypertension and provide a foundation for future research and practice changes.
Dr Hericka Bruna Figueiredo Galvao is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research, La Trobe University. Their work focuses on immune mechanisms of hypertension. More specifically, using genetic and pharmacological animal models coupled with single-cell technologies and computation analyses to study how B lymphocytes/cells promote hypertension.
Dr Tian Wang is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, working with Professor Alta Schutte and Professor Anthony Rodgers. Their research focuses on blood pressure and cardiometabolic health, particularly on innovative and scalable strategies to improve blood pressure control in Australia.
Dr Alemayehu Jufar is a postdoctoral researcher in the Cardiovascular and Renal Translational Research Group, led by Professor Yugeesh Lankadeva, at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. Their research focuses on understanding the pathophysiology of cardiac surgery-associated brain and kidney injury in a large animal (sheep) model of cardiopulmonary bypass (heart lung-machine) and developing therapies to reverse this vital organ injury.
We want to take this opportunity to thank Drs Rikeish Muralitharan and Ashenafi Betrie for their years of service and all that they have poured into this committee.
This spotlight features the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University’s Victorian Heart Institute. Led by Professor Francine Marques and supported by co-deputy lab heads Dr Joanne O'Donnell and Dr Matthew Snelson, the lab is internationally recognised for its work on how dietary fibre and the gut microbiome influence blood pressure. Their multidisciplinary research has shown that disrupted gut microbiota and reduced short-chain fatty acid signalling are linked to hypertension. The team aims to develop new strategies-both pharmacological and lifestyle-based-to prevent and manage high blood pressure by targeting the gut-heart axis.
We are thrilled to announce that abstracts and registration for the ASCEPT & Hypertension Australia Joint Scientific Meeting 2025 – taking place 9-12 December at the Adelaide Convention Centre – are now open! This unique gathering brings together researchers, clinicians, and educators in pharmacology, toxicology, and hypertension.
Abstract submissions close Monday, 1 September 2025.
Early bird registration closes Sunday, 12 October 2025.
Get ready for a dynamic day of discovery at the Hypertension Australia 2025 Winter School on Friday 1 August. This free online event features presentations from Markus Schlaich, Alta Schutte, Francine Marques, Yugeesh Lankadeva and Hericka Galvao.
Get ready for a packed program covering cutting-edge science, national initiatives, and real-world tips for grant success. Perfect for early career researchers, the afternoon workshop offers rare one-on-one feedback from experienced reviewers on the most critical part of your grant: the first page. Don’t miss this opportunity to sharpen your skills and expand your network!
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