James Chong

James Chong is a Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Sydney and a practicing cardiologist at Westmead Hospital. He serves as Co-Director of the Centre for Heart Research and Head of the Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. His expertise spans cardiovascular medicine, stem cell therapies, and cardiac regeneration. He holds advanced qualifications including a PhD, MBBS, and FRACP (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Research interests focus on heart regeneration, stem cell applications, coronary atherosclerosis, and novel therapies for heart disease. Collaborations include work with Prof Charles Murry at the University of Washington. His work has been published in top journals like Nature and Science Translational Medicine, and he has secured major grants including NHMRC/MRFF Investigator awards.

Award highlights include the 2024 Jian Zhou Medal and a Fulbright Scholarship. His research explores mechanisms of cardiac repair, including PDGF and peptide mimetics' roles in scar remodeling. He leads projects on stem cell therapies, multi-omics strategies for heart attack analysis, and enhancing pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte engraftment.

Notable grants include funding for regenerative therapies, scar modulation via Tropoelastin, and gene therapies for arrhythmias. His lab investigates arrhythmia mechanisms and cardiac fibrosis, with clinical focus on acute heart failure and patient care outcomes post-dissection.