Posted 26 May 2025
SVI is proud to celebrate the achievement of Dr Jarmon Lees, Team Leader, who was awarded the Early Career Investigator (ECI) Best Talk Award at the XXV World Congress of the International Society for Heart Research (ISHR) in Nara, Japan.
The World Congress is one of the premier global conferences for cardiovascular researchers. This year’s event brought together over 1,100 attendees at the Nara Prefectural Convention Centre for four days of cutting-edge science and international collaboration.
Jarmon, who currently serves as Chair of the ISHR’s International ECI Committee, presented his talk after his abstract was selected from over 200 submissions.
His presentation showcased his work developing a potential new treatment for Friedreich ataxia heart disease using advanced human heart organoid technology. His talk was judged the best in his session, earning him the ECI Best Talk Award.
Friedreich ataxia is a rare inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system and heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in people with Friedreich ataxia and there are currently no treatments that can effectively protect the heart.
The recognition highlights Jarmon’s strong commitment to advancing new treatments for this devastating disease.
“I hope that one day we will see a future where Friedreich ataxia is no longer a life-limiting diagnosis.”
Find out more about the Cardiac Regeneration Lab