Professor Vicky A. Cameron

Deputy Dean
Research Professor

BSc PhD(Otago)

Christchurch Heart Institute
Department of Medicine

Current roles

Deputy Dean, University of Otago, Christchurch
Group Leader, The Omics Laboratory, Christchurch Heart Institute and Named Investigator on the current HRC Programme.
Lead Investigator on the Genetic Profiles of Healthy Volunteers for the Study of Heart Disease and the Christchurch Family Heart Study
Co-Leader of the Māori Community Heart Study

Research interests

Cardiovascular genetics and genomics
Gene expression and the underlying pathology in models of heart disease

Professor Cameron heads the Omics Laboratory of the Christchurch Heart Institute, researching the influence of genomics and epigenetics in heart disease development and progression, and the association of genetic variation with clinical outcomes in New Zealand heart disease patients.

She is also investigating non-coding RNAs, such as the long, non-coding RNA (ANRIL) at chromosome 9p21, and their contribution to coronary heart disease susceptibility, as well as circulating microRNAs as novel biomarkers for prognosis after hospital admission for an acute coronary syndrome.

Professor Cameron completed her PhD (The Role of Brain Hormones in the Regulation of Hypothalamic-Pituitary Secretion During Acute Haemorrhagic Stress) while employed as a Scientific Officer in the Department of Medicine at the Christchurch School of Medicine (1982-1990).

Professor Cameron conducted Postdoctoral Research at the Peptide Biology Laboratories, The Salk Institute, San Diego (1990–1992) supported by a Fogarty Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, from the NIH.

In 1992, she returned to New Zealand under a Repatriation Fellowship from the Health Research Council to the position of Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

Awards

Gold Medal for Research, University of Otago, Christchurch, 2019
Leadership Award, University of Otago, Christchurch, 2018
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, ONZM, For Services to Health, 2017
New Zealand Society of Endocrinology Nancy Sirett Memorial Lecture Award, 2016
Council of the University of Otago, Representative of Academic Staff 2012
Elected International Fellow, American Heart Association, Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2011
Outstanding Teaching Award, UOC 2008
OUSA Supervisor Award 2005
Repatriation Fellowship, Health Research Council of New Zealand 1992-94
Fogarty Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, US National Institutes of Health 1990-91
Scientific Interchange Fellowship, Canterbury Medical Research Foundation 1988

Hauora Manawa/Heart Health: the Community Heart Study

Professor Cameron has also become involved in research into the causes for the disparity in cardiovascular mortality between Māori and non-Māori.

This cohort study has been documenting current levels of heart disease, diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in two regionally distinct, rural and urban Māori communities, compared to a non-Māori comparator group.

The cohort have now been followed for 5 years to understand the changes in heart disease risk factors over this time.

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Publications

Stamp, L. K., Cameron, V. A., Woodfield, T. B. F., Walker, L., Currie, M., Templeton, E., Pilbrow, A. P., Tabakakis, K., Phillips, E., & Lim, K. S. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on health research in New Zealand: A case study of a research-intensive campus. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/03036758.2020.1867202

Lassé, M., Pilbrow, A. P., Kleffmann, T., Andersson Överström, E., von Zychlinski, A., Frampton, C. M. A., … Troughton, R. W., Lewis, L. K., Prickett, T. C. R., Pemberton, C. J., Richards, A. M., & Cameron, V. A. (2021). Fibrinogen and hemoglobin predict near future cardiovascular events in asymptomatic individuals. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 4605. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-84046-7

Ward, Z., Pearson, J., Schmeier, S., Cameron, V., & Pilbrow, A. (2021). Insights into circular RNAs: Their biogenesis, detection, and emerging role in cardiovascular disease. RNA Biology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/15476286.2021.1891393

Schunk, S. J., Kleber, M. E., März, W., Pang, S., Zewinger, S., Triem, S., … Pilbrow, A. P., Richards, A. M., Cameron, V. A., … BIOS consortium. (2021). Genetically determined NLRP3 inflammasome activation associates with systemic inflammation and cardiovascular mortality. European Heart Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehab107

Mahmoodi, B. K., Tragante, V., Kleber, M. E., Holmes, M. V., Schmidt, A. F., McCubrey, R. O., … Pilbrow, A. P., … Richards, A. M., … Cameron, V. A., … Patel, R. (2020). Association of factor V Leiden with subsequent atherothrombotic events: A GENIUS-CHD study of individual participant data. Circulation, 142, 546-555. doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.119.045526

Chapter in Book - Research
Chapter in Book - Other
Journal - Research Article

Chapter in Book - Research

Faatoese, A. F., Pitama, S. G., Wells, J. E., & Cameron, V. A. (2013). Understanding cardiovascular disparities between Māori and non-Māori in New Zealand: Is there a way to reduce these disparities? In O. T. Jackson & K. A. Evans (Eds.), Health disparities: Epidemiology, racial/ethnic and socioeconomic risk factors and strategies for elimination. (pp. 77-102). New Yourk, NY: Nova.

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Chapter in Book - Other

Richards, M., Troughton, R., Espiner, E., Cameron, V., Ellmers, L., Pilbrow, A., Charles, C., Rademaker, M., Pemberton, C., & Yandle, T. (2013). Christchurch Heart Institute. In P. Joyce, G. Nicholls, K. Thomas & T. Wilkinson (Eds.), The Christchurch experience: 40 years of research and teaching. (pp. 68-74). Christchurch, New Zealand: University of Otago.

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Journal - Research Article

Templeton, E. M., Cameron, V. A., Pickering, J. W., Richards, A. M., & Pilbrow, A. P. (2020). Emerging microRNA biomarkers for acute kidney injury in acute decompensated heart failure. Heart Failure Reviews. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10741-020-09928-w

Ellmers, L. J., Templeton, E. M., Pilbrow, A. P., Frampton, C., Ishii, I., Moore, P. K., Bhatia, M., Richards, A. M., & Cameron, V. A. (2020). Hydrogen sulfide treatment improves post-infarct remodeling and long-term cardiac function in CSE knockout and wild-type mice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(12), 4284. doi: 10.3390/ijms21124284

Prickett, T. C. R., Spittlehouse, J. K., Miller, A. L., Liau, Y., Kennedy, M. A., Cameron, V. A., Pearson, J. F., Boden, J. M., Troughton, R. W., & Espiner, E. A. (2019). Contrasting signals of cardiovascular health among natriuretic peptides in subjects without heart disease. Scientific Reports, 9, 12108. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-48553-y

Wong, L. L., Zou, R., Zhou, L., Lim, J. Y., Phua, D. C. Y., Liu, C., … Troughton, R., Cameron, V. A., … Richards, A. M. (2019). Combining circulating microRNA and NT-proBNP to detect and categorize heart failure subtypes. JACC, 73(11), 1300-1313. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.11.060

Patel, R. S., Schmidt, A. F., Tragante, V., McCubrey, R. O., Holmes, M. V., Howe, L. J., … Pilbrow, A. P., … Richards, A. M., … Cameron, V. A., … Asselbergs, F. W. (2019). Association of chromosome 9p21 with subsequent coronary heart disease events: A GENIUS-CHD study of individual participant data. Circulation: Genomic & Precision Medicine, 12(4), 161-172. doi: 10.1161/circgen.119.002471

Patel, R., Tragante, V., Schmidt, A. F., McCubrey, R. O., Holmes, M. V., Howe, L. J., … Pilbrow, A. P., … Richards, A. M., … Cameron, V. A., … Asselbergs, F. W. (2019). Subsequent event risk in individuals with established coronary heart disease: Design and rationale of the GENIUS-CHD Consortium. Circulation: Genomic & Precision Medicine, 12(4), 145-160. doi: 10.1161/CIRCGEN.119.002470

Aimer, P., Stamp, L. K., Stebbings, S., Cameron, V., Kirby, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Exploring perceptions of a rheumatoid arthritis-specific smoking cessation programme. Musculoskeletal Care, 16, 74-81. doi: 10.1002/msc.1209

Prickett, T. C. R., Darlow, B. A., Troughton, R. W., Cameron, V. A., Elliott, J. M., Martin, J., Horwood, L. J., & Espiner, E. A. (2018). New insights into cardiac and vascular natriuretic peptides: Findings from young adults born with very low birth weight. Clinical Chemistry, 64(2), 363-373. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2017.280354

Lacey, C. J., Doudney, K., Bridgman, P. G., George, P. M., Mulder, R. T., Zarifeh, J. J., Kimber, B., Cadzow, M. J., Black, M. A., Merriman, T. R., … Pearson, J. F., Cameron, V. A., & Kennedy, M. A. (2018). Copy number variants implicate cardiac function and development pathways in earthquake-induced stress cardiomyopathy. Scientific Reports, 8, 7548. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-25827-5

Lam, C. S. P., Gamble, G. D., Ling, L. H., Sim, D., Leong, K. T. G., Yeo, P. S. D., … Cameron, V. A., … Troughton, R., Richards, A. M., & Doughty, R. N. (2018). Mortality associated with heart failure with preserved vs. reduced ejection fraction in a prospective international multi-ethnic cohort study. European Heart Journal, 39(20), 1170-1178. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy005

Fomison-Nurse, I., Saw, E. E. L., Gandhi, S., Munasinghe, P. E., Van Hout, I., Williams, M. J. A., Galvin, I., Bunton, R., Davis, P., Cameron, V., & Katare, R. (2018). Diabetes induces the activation of pro-ageing miR-34a in the heart, but has differential effects on cardiomyocytes and cardiac progenitor cells. Cell Death & Differentiation, 25, 1336-1349. doi: 10.1038/s41418-017-0047-6

Marks, E. C. A., Wilkinson, T. M., Frampton, C. M., Skelton, L., Pilbrow, A. P., Yandle, T. G., Pemberton, C. J., … Whalley, G. A., … Troughton, R. W., … Cameron, V. A., Richards, A. M., Gieseg, S. P., & Palmer, B. R. (2018). Plasma levels of soluble VEGF receptor isoforms, circulating pterins and VEGF system SNPs as prognostic biomarkers in patients with acute coronary syndromes. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 18, 169. doi: 10.1186/s12872-018-0894-1

Muniraj, N., Stamp, L. K., Badiei, A., Hegde, A., Cameron, V., & Bhatia, M. (2017). Hydrogen sulfide acts as a pro-inflammatory mediator in rheumatic disease. International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, 20(2), 182-189. doi: 10.1111/1756-185x.12472

Aimer, P., Treharne, G. J., Stebbings, S., Frampton, C., Cameron, V., Kirby, S., & Stamp, L. K. (2017). Efficacy of a rheumatoid arthritis-specific smoking cessation programme: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Care & Research, 69(1), 28-37. doi: 10.1002/acr.22960

Scott, N. J. A., Ellmers, L. J., Pilbrow, A. P., Thomsen, L., Richards, A. M., Frampton, C. M., & Cameron, V. A. (2017). Metabolic and blood pressure effects of walnut supplementation in a mouse model of the metabolic syndrome. Nutrients, 9, 722. doi: 10.3390/nu9070722

Teng, A. M., Blakely, T., Ivory, V., Kingham, S., & Cameron, V. (2017). Living in areas with different levels of earthquake damage and association with risk of cardiovascular disease: A cohort-linkage study. Lancet Planetary Health, 1(6), e242-e253. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30101-8

Rawal, S., Munasinghe, P. E., Shindikar, A., Paulin, J., Cameron, V., Manning, P., Williams, M. J. A., Jones, G. T., Bunton, R., Galvin, I., & Katare, R. (2017). Down-regulation of proangiogenic microRNA-126 and microRNA-132 are early modulators of diabetic cardiac microangiopathy. Cardiovascular Research, 113(1), 90-101. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvw235

Zewinger, S., Kleber, M. E., Tragante, V., McCubrey, R. O., Schmidt, A. F., Direk, K., … Pilbrow, A. P., Cameron, V. A., Richards, A. M., … on behalf of the GENIUS-CHD consortium, … Speer, T. (2017). Relations between lipoprotein(a) concentrations, LPA genetic variants, and the risk of mortality in patients with established coronary heart disease: A molecular and genetic association study. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 5(7), 534-543. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(17)30096-7

Pearson, J. F., Pullar, J. M., Wilson, R., Spittlehouse, J. K., Vissers, M. C. M., Skidmore, P. M. L., Willis, J., Cameron, V. A., & Carr, A. C. (2017). Vitamin C status correlates with markers of metabolic and cognitive health in 50-year-olds: Findings of the CHALICE Cohort Study. Nutrients, 9(8), 831. doi: 10.3390/nu9080831

Hu, Y.-J., Schmidt, A. F., Dudbridge, F., Holmes, M. V., Brophy, J. M., Tragante, V., … on behalf of the GENIUS-CHD Consortium, including Cameron, V. A., Pilbrow, A. P., & Richards, A. M. (2017). Impact of selection bias on estimation of subsequent event risk. Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, 10(5), e001616. doi: 10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.116.001616

Aimer, P., Stamp, L. K., Stebbings, S., Cameron, V., Kirby, S., Croft, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2016). Developing a tailored smoking cessation intervention for rheumatoid arthritis patients. Musculoskeletal Care, 14(1), 2-14. doi: 10.1002/msc.1106

Pilbrow, A. P., Lewis, K. A., Perrin, M. H., Sweet, W. E., Moravec, C. S., Tang, W. H. W., … Troughton, R. W., & Cameron, V. A. (2016). Cardiac CRFR1 expression is elevated in human heart failure and modulated by genetic variation and alternative splicing. Endocrinology, 157(12), 4865-4874. doi: 10.1210/en.2016-1448

Aimer, P., Stamp, L., Stebbings, S., Valentino, N., Cameron, V., & Treharne, G. J. (2015). Identifying barriers to smoking cessation in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care & Research, 67(5), 607-615. doi: 10.1002/acr.22503

The EchoNoRMAL (Echocardiographic Normal Ranges Meta-Analysis of the Left Heart) Collaboration, including Whalley, G. A., Cameron, V., Richards, A. M., & Troughton, R. (2015). Ethnic-specific normative reference values for echocardiographic LA and LV size, LV mass, and systolic function: The EchoNoRMAL Study. JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 8(6), 656-665. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2015.02.014

Ellmers, L. J., Scott, N. J. A., Cameron, V. A., Richards, A. M., & Rademaker, M. T. (2015). Chronic urocortin 2 administration improves after cardiac function and ameliorates cardiac remodeling after experimental myocardial infarction. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, 65(3), 269-275. doi: 10.1097/FJC.0000000000000190

Earle, N. J., Poppe, K. K., Pilbrow, A. P., Cameron, V. A., Troughton, R. W., Skinner, J. R., … Whalley, G. A., … Richards, A. M., & Doughty, R. N. (2015). Genetic markers of repolarization and arrhythmic events following acute coronary syndromes. American Heart Journal, 169(4), 579-586.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2014.11.015

Whalley, G. A., Pitama, S., Troughton, R. W., Doughty, R. N., Gamble, G. D., Gillies, T., Wells, J. E., Faatoese, A., Huria, T., Richards, M., & Cameron, V. A. (2015). Higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in two Māori cohorts: Findings from the Hauora Manawa/Community Heart Study. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 39(1), 26-31. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12300

Cameron, V. A., & Pilbrow, A. P. (2014). Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers in coronary heart disease and heart failure. microRNA Diagnostics & Therapeutics, 1(1), 58-74.

Earle, N., Han, D. Y., Pilbrow, A., Crawford, J., Smith, W., Shelling, A. N., Cameron, V., … Skinner, J. R. (2014). Single nucleotide polymorphisms in arrhythmia genes modify the risk of cardiac events and sudden death in long QT syndrome. Heart Rhythm, 11(1), 76-82. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2013.10.005

Palmer, B. R., Slow, S., Ellis, K. L., Pilbrow, A. P., Skelton, L., Frampton, C. M., Palmer, S. C., Troughton, R. W., Yandle, T. G., … Whalley, G. A., … Lever, M., George, P. M., Chambers, S. T., … Richards, A. M., & Cameron, V. A. (2014). Genetic polymorphism rs6922269 in the MTHFD1L gene is associated with survival and baseline active vitamin B12 levels in post-acute coronary syndromes patients. PLoS ONE, 9(3), e89029. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089029

Pilbrow, A. P., Cordeddu, L., Cameron, V. A., Frampton, C. M., Troughton, R. W., Doughty, R. N., Whalley, G. A., … Yandle, T. G., Richards, A. M., & Foo, R. S.-Y. (2014). Circulating miR-323-3p and miR-652: Candidate markers for the presence and progression of acute coronary syndromes. International Journal of Cardiology, 176, 375-385. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2014.07.068

Lacey, C., Mulder, R., Bridgman, P., Kimber, B., Zarifeh, J., Kennedy, M., & Cameron, V. (2014). Broken heart syndrome: Is it a psychosomatic disorder? Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 77(2), 158-160. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.05.003

Santhanakrishnan, R., Ng, T. P., Cameron, V. A., Gamble, G. D., Ling, L. H., Sim, D., … Troughton, R., Richards, A. M., … Lam, C. S. P. (2013). The Singapore Heart Failure Outcomes and Phenotypes (SHOP) study and Prospective Evaluation of Outcome in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (PEOPLE) study: Rationale and design. Journal of Cardiac Failure, 19(3), 156-162. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2013.01.007

Ellis, K. L., Cameron, V. A., Troughton, R. W., Frampton, C. M., Ellmers, L. J., & Richards, A. M. (2013). Circulating microRNAs as candidate markers to distinguish heart failure in breathless patients. European Journal of Heart Failure, 15(10), 1138-1147. doi: 10.1093/eurjhf/hft078

Prickett, T. C. R., Olney, R. C., Cameron, V. A., Ellis, M. J., Richards, A. M., & Espiner, E. A. (2013). Impact of age, phenotype and cardio-renal function on plasma C-type and B-type natriuretic peptide forms in an adult population. Clinical Endocrinology, 78(5), 783-789. doi: 10.1111/cen.12035

Schluter, P. J., Spittlehouse, J. K., Cameron, V. A., Chambers, S., Gearry, R., Jamieson, H. A., Kennedy, M., Lacey, C. J., Murdoch, D. R., Pearson, J., Porter, R. J., Richards, M., Skidmore, P. M. L., Troughton, R., Vierck, E., & Joyce, P. R. (2013). Canterbury Health, Ageing and Life Course (CHALICE) study: Rationale, design and methodology. New Zealand Medical Journal, 126(1375). Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

The Echocardiographic Normal Ranges Meta-Analysis of the Left Heart (EchoNoRMAL) Collaboration, including Whalley, G. A., Cameron, V., Richards, A. M., & Troughton, R. (2013). A meta-analysis of echocardiographic measurements of the left heart for the development of normative reference ranges in a large international cohort: The EchoNoRMAL study. European Heart Journal, 15, 341-348. doi: 10.1093/ehjci/jet240

Stamp, L. K., Wells, J. E., Pitama, S., Faatoese, A., Doughty, R. N., Whalley, G., Richards, A. M., & Cameron, V. A. (2013). Hyperuricaemia and gout in New Zealand rural and urban Māori and non-Māori communities. Internal Medicine Journal, 43(6), 678-684. doi: 10.1111/imj.12062

Chan, K., Patel, R. S., Newcombe, P., Nelson, C. P., Qasim, A., Epstein, S. E., … Ellis, K. L., … Richards, A. M., Cameron, V. A., … Ye, S. (2013). Association between the chromosome 9p21 locus and angiographic coronary artery disease burden: A collaborative meta-analysis. JACC, 61(9), 957-970. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2012.10.051

Scott, N. J. A., Cameron, V. A., Raudsepp, S., Lewis, L. K., Simpson, E. R., Richards, A. M., & Ellmers, L. J. (2012). Generation and characterization of a mouse model of the metabolic syndrome: Apolipoprotein E and aromatase double knockout mice. American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology & Metabolism, 302, E576-E584. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00222.2011

Bentley, R. W., Keown, D. A., Gearry, R. B., Cameron, V. A., Keenan, J., Roberts, R. L., & Day, A. S. (2012). Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms in colorectal cancer in New Zealand: An association study. New Zealand Medical Journal, 125(1356). Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Palmer, B. R., Frampton, C. M., Skelton, L., Yandle, T. G., Doughty, R. N., Whalley, G. A., … Troughton, R. W., Richards, A. M., & Cameron, V. A. (2012). KCNE5 polymorphism rs697829 is associated with QT interval and survival in acute coronary syndromes patients. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 23(3), 319-324. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8167.2011.02192.x

Pilbrow, A. P., Folkersen, L., Pearson, J. F., Brown, C. M., McNoe, L., Wang, N. M., … Black, M. A., Troughton, R. W., Richards, A. M., … Cameron, V. A. (2012). The chromosome 9p21.3 coronary heart disease risk allele is associated with altered gene expression in normal heart and vascular tissues. PLoS ONE, 7(6), e39574. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039574

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Current roles

Research interests

Awards

Hauora Manawa/Heart Health: the Community Heart Study

Publications

Chapter in Book - Research

Chapter in Book - Other

Journal - Research Article

Affiliations