Posted 13 April 2026
When the heart and kidneys begin to fail, dysfunction in one organ can trigger injury in the other, creating a dangerous cycle known as cardiorenal syndrome. The condition is common in people living with diabetes and high blood pressure, yet researchers still lack effective models to study how the two organs interact.
SVI PhD student Anny (Nan) Su is working to change that. She is creating tiny, lab-grown 3D models of heart and kidney tissue, known as organoids, to better replicate how these organs communicate and interact together in human disease. This new platform will allow scientists to uncover the mechanisms driving cardiorenal syndrome and test potential therapies more effectively.
“It’s important to me that the models we develop genuinely capture the complexity of patient disease,” Anny says.
“If we better understand how the heart and kidneys influence each other, we can design treatments that interrupt this cycle and improve long-term outcomes.”
Anny hopes to build a career driving research that bridges laboratory discovery and real-world patient care. Her Top-up Scholarship, generously supported by Fergus and Judy Ryan, has allowed her to focus fully on her PhD.
“This support feels like a genuine vote of confidence in both me and my research,” she says.
“Knowing that donors believe in what I’m trying to achieve is incredibly motivating. Philanthropy plays such an essential role in helping us move our ideas forward into meaningful impact, and I’m so grateful for this head start.”
Support an SVI student with a Top-up Scholarship
Top-up Scholarships are a vital part of SVI’s student program. They relieve financial pressure, enabling students to spend more time developing their research skills and less time trying to make ends meet.
With a gift of $19,250 over 3.5 years, you can help support Australia’s top PhD students and secure the future of medical research.
If you’re interested in supporting an SVI PhD student, please contact the SVI Foundation at [email protected] or (03) 9231 2480.
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