Barbara Harper

Dr Barbara Kemp-Harper is a vascular pharmacologist whose research focuses on improving blood vessel function in hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology, Monash University and a group leader within the Vascular Biology and Immunopharmacology Group. Barbara leads the Vascular Signalling Group and currently holds a NHMRC Project Grant.

Barbara has a long standing interest in the mechanisms underlying blood vessel dysfunction in cardiovascular disease. She is particularly interested in nitric oxide, a biologically active gas, which is produced in blood vessels to help maintain adequate blood flow and blood pressure. In disease states, nitric oxide signalling is compromised and Barbara's work seeks to identify new therapeutic strategies to overcome nitric oxide dysfunction. She has become internationally recognised for her work on nitroxyl, a novel sibling of nitric oxide, which has many advantages over nitric oxide. Barbara's work has identified a potential for nitroxyl-like drugs to be used in the treatment of angina, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.