Our life-saving science

The British Heart Foundation was launched in 1961, by concerned doctors hoping to address the epidemic of heart disease.

At that time around 166,000 people in the UK died annually of coronary heart disease (CHD). Since then, donations from our supporters have helped us contribute to a halving of this figure – in 2009 around 80,000 died of CHD.

We’ve come a long way, but there is a great deal still to be done – heart disease remains the UK’s single biggest killer. That’s why we need to keep funding the best research alongside our vital prevention and care initiatives.

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Find out more about our life-saving science

We're the biggest funder of heart research at UK universities and these stories are a snapshot of recent discoveries we've helped to make all over the UK.

Please use the carousel below to read about some of the scientists we've funded, people we've helped and to see how you can help us.

Thank you for your support - you have helped make these discoveries possible.