Prof Jennifer Wilkinson-Berka recognised at the International Society of Hypertension 2022 Conference

This year’s theme was ‘The Wisdom for Conquering Hypertension’ and Prof Wilkinson-Berka received the Best Poster Presentation Award

Professor Jennifer Wilkinson-Berka, Head of School of Biomedical Sciences, has returned from Japan where she was attending the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) 2022 Conference.

We congratulate Professor Wilkinson-Berka on being awarded ‘Best Poster Presentation Award [Basic Science]’ focussing on ‘The non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, finerenone, reduces vascular pathology and inflammation in pre-clinical diabetic retinopathy’.

“The opportunity to meet with peers once again in-person in Japan was great and I feel honoured to have been recognised amongst my peers in an area of research that’s so important.”

Professor Wilkinson-Berka’s pre-clinical research led to a discovery that the blockage of the hormone angiotensin II reduces retinal vascular disease, and this research contributed to the world’s largest clinical trial evaluating angiotensin II inhibition in diabetic retinopathy.

Her research team is focused on understanding the contribution of the adaptive and innate immune systems to retinopathy in order to develop new treatment targets. Professor Wilkinson-Berka’s work has led to more than 120 papers and has been supported by numerous peer-reviewed grants as well as grants from national and international pharmaceutical partners.

Established in 1966, the International Society of Hypertension is leading the drive towards the global elimination of raised blood pressure and its complications. They are committed to promoting and encouraging the advancement of scientific research and knowledge and its application to the prevention and management of heart disease and stroke in hypertension and related cardiovascular diseases around the world.

The theme of this year’s ISH conference was ‘The Wisdom for Conquering Hypertension’ and it had three focuses: Food (nutrition and diet), Move (exercise and fitness), and AI (articifical intelligence and digital technology).

We congratulate Professor Wilkinson-Berka on her achievement.