For the love of Max: student’s heartfelt mission to tackle genetic condition

Molly Schiller submitted her master's dissertation on the genetic causes of the heart condition that killed her young brother.

A family photo of Molly Schiller hugging her brother Max

When Molly Schiller’s younger brother died suddenly overnight from an undetected heart condition, the then 15-year-old schoolgirl had no inkling of how his loss would shape her future life and achievements.

Yet the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) which cut Max Schiller’s life short was to become the focus of his sister’s studies, after she made the decision to pursue a career in science, and to make the genetic condition the focus of her Master’s research at the University of Birmingham.

A chance Tweet Molly posted at the end of her studies went viral on social media in the summer of 2021, and catapulted the Birmingham student into the media spotlight.

‘In 2015, my baby brother passed away at age ten from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,’ Molly Tweeted. ‘Six years later, I’ve just submitted my Master’s dissertation researching the genetic causes of the same condition. I hope you’d be proud of me, Max.’

Her post gained over half a million likes from people around the world, and led to widespread media interest, including an article in the US-based magazine Newsweek.

Molly Schiller's tweet from May 2021, which talks about her late brother Max and her research into his heart condition

‘‘I’m so honoured that so many people feel Max’s story is worth sharing,’ Molly told the University’s alumni magazine Old Joe soon afterwards. ‘I’ve had responses from so many people sharing their story with me, many with the same condition.

‘Everything I do is to try and keep his memory alive,’ she said. ‘He was a happy and caring little boy loved by so many, and we all miss him every day.’

HCM affects roughly one in 500 and is hard to diagnose in young children as their hearts are underdeveloped, which was the case with Molly’s brother. Only examination of tissue at a molecular level would have shown up any problem.

Molly’s research, which focused on confirming whether a specific gene caused the condition and led to her receiving a First in her Biochemistry Msc, produced a very promising result; leading to the hope that the condition might be spotted earlier, potentially saving lives. ‘Finding the right gene means we might be able to screen children for it in future, so they get treatment faster.’

While studying at Birmingham, Molly promoted awareness of genetic heart conditions in children via Max’s Foundation, set up by the Schiller Family in Max’s memory. As a counterbalance to her intensive research, she became involved in the Guild of Students’ drama societies, writing a play during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, called Shadow’s Shadows, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.