Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year.1
Younger women are having more heart attacks, according to a 2019 study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, USA.
Women face a 20 percent increased risk in developing heart failure or dying within five years after their first severe heart attack compared to men.2
These are but just a few of the statistics showing that heart health is – or should be – a main concern for women. However, there are also studies that have shown that there is a lack of better heart attack treatments for women, one of the reasons being women having heart attacks being less likely to receive the correct initial diagnosis compared to men.
This is why the work of Dr Jiawen Li in developing an endoscope that can investigate blood vessels is significant for the health industry both for women and society as a whole. Specialising in biomedical engineering, Dr Li and her collaborators have created an endoscope as thin as a strand of hair by combining nanoscale 3D printing with optical fibre technology. This endoscope can be used by cardiologists to investigate blood vessels, allowing the doctors to assess a patient’s risk for a heart attack based on the conditions of the blood vessels. This also allows for better prevention practices and more personalised treatments – which is important as heart failures can be brought on by various causes even if one is fit and eats well, especially for women.
At the moment, Dr Li, who is an associate professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia, and her research associates are at the stage where they are actively working on making the invention more commercially viable. This is important in order to be able to bring this potentially life-saving technology to clinics and hospitals. Meanwhile, the research team is also expanding the multi-modal technology’s features to be applied towards measuring data such as site-specific temperature and chemical changes, while also exploring possible uses in the fields of neurology and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
For her work in advancing technology that can be potentially life-saving for millions of women and men, Dr Li has recently been honoured with a special Judges’ Commendation in recognition of her research and its potential, even though she is not one of the recipients of the three main awards proffered with the inaugural Sony Women In Technology Award With Nature competition.
Professor Anton Middelberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), University of Adelaide, congratulated Associate Professor Li on her award.
“Associate Professor Li’s efforts to commercialise her innovative research underlines her commitment to seeing it benefit as many people as possible,” said Professor Middleberg. “We are proud to have Associate Professor Li as part of our community of researchers here in Adelaide who make history with each new discovery – accelerating human progress and making our world a better place.”
It is certainly another win, or four, for women in STEM with the inaugural Sony Women In Technology Award With Nature awards. The awards, which celebrate women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), will annually recognise three inspirational women who are potentially redefining the future in each of their fields and bring about positive change to society and the planet. As can be seen this year, the undeniable contribution Dr Li is making towards health and science has a big enough impact that it warranted a fourth honour being awarded to the very deserving recipient, Dr Jiawen Li.
Meanwhile, the other winners are:
- Dr Kiana Aran, who is working on a method of using fingertip sensors for viral detection;
- Dr Amanda Randles, whose work integrates wearable-informed computational models to provide personalised insights into cardiovascular hemodynamics and optimise treatment strategies
- Dr Yating Wan, who wins in the “Early Career Stage” category for her work in Silicon Photonics, focusing on integrating light sources onto silicon chips for more energy-efficient data communication and information processing
Hiroaki Kitano, CTO of Sony Group Corporation and executive sponsor of the program said, “We launched this award in March 2024 with the clear aim of supporting more diverse gender representation within the international research community.”
“We are very inspired by our honorees, each of them challenging the current state of the art in their fields,” Kitano continues. “We look forward to championing their work, as well as growing the program in the years to come.”
Each winner receives a USD250,000 grant to further advance their research.
(Source: University of Adelaide; Sony Women In Technology Award, Nature magazine)
1 Addressing the Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in Women: JACC State-of-the-Art Review; Journal of the American College of Cardiology; Vervoort et al.
2Is There a Sex Gap in Surviving an Acute Coronary Syndrome or Subsequent Development of Heart Failure?; Circulation/American Heart Institute; Ezekowitz et al.
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