I am an early career researcher, specialising in cardiac regeneration, gene editing, and disease modelling. In my current role at SVI’s Cardiac Regeneration lab, my research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of aging and heart failure. I am using innovative approaches—including gene editing, in vitro disease modelling of 3D cardiac tissue, and gene therapies—to uncover the drivers of heart aging and to identify new therapeutic targets for heart failure and age-related cardiac dysfunction.

Throughout my career, I have driven impactful projects, from the creation of 3D cardiac organoid models and CRISPR-based genome editing technologies to studies dissecting mechanisms of cardiac protection and repair. My goal is to deliver scientific advancements that translate into tangible improvements in patient outcomes, working in teams to commercialize therapies and shape the future of regenerative medicine. Mentoring young scientists and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration are also central to my work as we strive to address the global health burden posed by heart disease.

Key achievements

  • 2025 SVI Rising Star Award
  • Awarded multiple competitive scholarships and national/international travel awards, including the 2024 ASSCR Travel Award and 2023 reNEW Novo Nordisk Foundation Travel Award.
  • Twice recognized as a Student Investigator Prize finalist by the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (2021, 2019).

Related news

PhD/Masters

Unlocking the secrets of heart aging with stem cells

Lab: Cardiac Regeneration

Supervisor(s): Associate Professor Shiang (Max) Lim Dr Sebastian Bass-Stringer

Diseases focus: Regenerative Medicine
View project

Cardiac Regeneration

As part of the Institute's O'Brien Department we use human stem cells to engineer beating heart tissue on a lab dish to develop effective and translatable treatments for heart disease.

Lab head: Associate Professor Shiang (Max) Lim

View lab profile

Selected publications

Bass-Stringer S; Bernardo BC; Yildiz GS; Matsumoto A; Kiriazis H; Harmawan CA; Tai CMK; Chooi R; Bottrell L; Ezeani M et al., et al.
Reduced PI3K induces atrial myopathy in mice, and PI3K-related lipids are dysregulated in human atrial fibrillation. Journal of Health and Sport Science (2025).

Bass-Stringer S, Thomas CJ, May CN, Gregorevic P, Weeks KL, McMullen JR.
A step-by-step method to detect neutralizing antibodies against AAV using a colorimetric cell-based assay. JOVE. (2022).

Bass-Stringer, S, Tai CM, McMullen JR.
IGF1–PI3K-induced physiological cardiac hypertrophy: Implications for new heart failure therapies, biomarkers, and predicting cardiotoxicity. Journal of Sport and Health Science. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2020.11.009

Bass-Stringer, S, Ooi, JYY, McMullen, JR.
Clusterin is regulated by IGF1–PI3K signalling in the heart: implications for biomarker and drug target discovery, and cardiotoxicity. Arch Toxicol 94, 1763–1768 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-020-02709-2

Bass-Stringer S, Bernardo BC, May CN, Thomas CJ, Weeks KL, McMullen JR.
Adeno-Associated Virus Gene Therapy: Translational Progress and Future Prospects in the Treatment of Heart Failure. Heart Lung Circ;27(11):1285-1300 (2018). doi:10.1016/j.hlc.2018.03.005

Mohandas N, Bass-Stringer S, Maksimovic J, Crompton K, Loke YJ, Walstab J, et al.**
Epigenome-wide analysis in newborn blood spots from monozygotic twins discordant for cerebral palsy reveals consistent regional differences in DNA methylation. Clinical Epigenet, 2018; 10:25. **Equal-first author

ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1060-0942