Livia Hool

Livia Hool is Professor and Chair in Cardiovascular Research at the School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, with significant affiliations at The Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research. Her internationally recognized work bridges molecular cardiology and clinical applications, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals in health and well-being through innovative cardiovascular research.

Her primary research focuses on L-type calcium channel regulation under pathological conditions including hypoxia, oxidative stress, and adrenergic stimulation, with emphasis on mitochondrial function, cytoskeletal interactions, and therapeutic development for cardiomyopathies. Current investigations employ nanoparticle technology, CRISPR-based approaches, and oligomer delivery systems to treat conditions like familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy cardiomyopathy, revealing novel mechanisms in cardiac electrophysiology and disease progression.

Analysis of her extensive publication record shows consistent thematic evolution toward molecular precision medicine, with recent work integrating genetic variant interpretation, immune dysfunction in chronic conditions, and structural biology for drug design. Her research increasingly connects fundamental channel physiology with clinical manifestations of heart failure and genetic disorders.

Scientific Recognition

• Gaston Bauer Cardiovascular Research Fellow
• American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow
• NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow
• NHMRC Career Development Award Fellow
• ARC Future Fellow
• Honorary NHMRC Senior Research Fellow
• NHMRC Senior Research Fellow
• NHMRC National Heart Foundation Biomedical Scholarship

Professor Hool maintains an active mentoring program supervising five PhD candidates (Shah, Chin, Pavey, Hughes, Baker) and one honors student (Eroglu), alongside three postdoctoral researchers (Viola, Cserne Szappanos, Andharia) and research staff. Her laboratory receives substantial funding through 66 competitive grants including 8 consecutive NHMRC Project Grants (2006-2021), with current major projects: The Australian Functional Genomics Network (MRFF-funded), cardiovascular drug design research (NHMRC), and pediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy screening (Channel 7 Telethon Trust).

She directs the Cardiovascular Electrophysiology Laboratory established in 1998, utilizing advanced patch-clamp technology, echocardiography, and molecular techniques. Her collaborative network spans Washington University, Harvard, Centenary Institute, and The Harry Perkins Institute, with strong industry partnerships in nanoparticle therapeutics and genetic medicine development.